snap shots and lost super hero capes
by edeabeth
Summary: They're just a little screwed up but somehow came together the way all screwed up people do. Like puzzle pieces, jagged edges forged from angry childhoods and uncertain futures and fitting side by side with the pressure of a chaotic present. University AU (huge cast of characters- Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Daredevil, Spider Man, Agents of SHIELD)
1. come as you are

snap shots and lost super hero capes

.

They're just a little screwed up but somehow came together the way all screwed up people do. Like puzzle pieces, jagged edges forged from angry childhoods and uncertain futures and fitting side by side with the pressure of a chaotic present. University AU

 _._

 _an ending only begins a new beginning._

 _._

Steve leaned against the brick wall as he watched the crowd of students and parents hurry by. Everyone was carrying boxes and bags as they tried to push their way to the residence buildings while at the same time embracing spontaneously to family members and friends. His phone was buzzing almost frantically in his pocket as he briefed through his sketches he'd worked on over the summer. Suddenly he heard someone shout his name from the crowd, Bruce Banner trying to fight his way through the mob.

He waved his hand frantically at his fellow student and waited for him to come closer before greeting him. It had been four months since he had seen his group of friends, the incredibly different people that had latched together-some willingly, others not so willingly. The new school year was going to be different, he realized. No awkward phase that would make any of them feel stunted or lost in the chaos of the transformation from teenager to adult.

"Hey," Bruce grinned at him. He hitched the strap of his duffle bag higher up on his shoulder. "Tony's parking the car still, and he has Clint and Natasha with him." He rolled his eyes. "He's looking for four spaces so no one will dare scratched that monstrosity that he calls a car."

Steve smirked. The mechanical engineer had built the Iron Ride from hand, painting it obnoxious red with gold details. It almost resembled something from the era of the 1920s, both with a more futuristic approach. "It's been radio silence from you all summer. The most I got from you was the roommate request." The majority of the group were terrible at communication, much less long distance. Tony was the only one that frequented social media the most, constantly mouthing off on Twitter.

"I figured that'd surprise you. I know Tony got his own place off campus this year, but I didn't feel like waking up to him setting the microwave on fire again this year. I thought you'd be the safer option." Bruce shrugged. "No offense."

"None taken."

"Everyone get out of the way!" Someone shouted at the hoard of people. The two looked up to see a large group of people that had been immersed in a group hug violently disperse as three figures pushed through. "Thank you, save the mushiness for when you're not in the way."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I missed the tool."

Clint gave a slight wave while Natasha gave the two boys a slight smirk. Her red hair was pulled back from her face and revealed the tired dark circles. He winced as he imagined her sitting patiently on the plane ride from New Zealand to get to the campus. Tony had arranged with Clint to surprise her at the airport to ensure she didn't have to take a cab.

Tony flung himself at Bruce, making the boy flinch before patting him on the back. "The science bros are together again!" He informed the group loudly. "Never to depart from one another's side ever again, for as long as there is peace there will be destruction!"

"You break toaster again, I beat you." Natasha frowned at him as she set her bag down on the ground. "Steve." She greeted impassively and gave Bruce had a slight nod.

Clint was silently watching her, already ducking down to pick up the discarded black duffle bag with the red plastic tags. "You weren't even allowed to have toasters or microwaves in the dorm rooms." He eventually told Tony as he the engineer looked like he was slowly strangling the physics student.

"Those were rules?" Tony gasped as he let go of Bruce and turned to face him. "I thought they were suggestions. You know, like the noise rule, or the animal rule."

"I'm still allergic to dogs," Bruce interjected. Steve grinned, remembering the time he had showed up at his room and surprised his gruff previous roommate and him by mumbling something about the assortment of dogs that Tony had been collecting. "This is why I'm rooming with the asthmatic one."

"We go now? I need to unpack." Natasha interjected quietly, the gruffness in her words ruined by a yawn. "My dorm is Sky." Clint was already moving past her with her bags. He had already arrived much earlier to move into his single room, a rarity on campus. Tony had picked him up afterwards to be at the airport for her arrival. Natasha followed Clint the way exhausted people do, not really seeing or knowing what they're doing, just following a single person to find quietness.

Steve managed to pull her backpack off of her and take it for himself, wincing at the heaviness of her laptop and textbooks already purchased. "You packing rocks now?

"Baby elephants." She murmured. Tony had fallen into step with Bruce and the two of them were comparing notes for a project to enter for the end of the year science fair. The crowd of people had yet to disperse and someone made the mistake of knocking into Natasha and within seconds she had lashed out and caught the man in the face with her nails. Streaks of blood instantly marked up his pale face, and suddenly the cursing man had a face full of Tony Stark who was listing all the ways he could sue him for coming into contact with a student while Clint hustled Natasha away from the scene.

Steve sighed as he hurried after them, leaving Bruce to deal with the explosive rage between their friend and the stranger.

"He shouldn't have walked into you like that," Clint informed her as they neared the large building. The Sky residence was a white stone building that was situated on the hilltop, windows outlined in blue. "He was being careless."

Natasha was glaring at the ground, all traces of jet lag washed away. "He touched me."

"I know."

"He _touched_ me."

Clint suddenly understood and began to spin around to the large group of people gathered around Tony. There was a harsh look in his eye that made Steve flinch. He grabbed a hold of his friend and got him to stand still. "Natasha got him good, and he has to handle Tony spitting out law terms. He's as good as gone."

Natasha placed her hand softly on his arm and informed him quietly that Steve was right. "You get arrested on first night, you're stupid."

He allowed them to direct them into the residence, ignoring the hordes of females milling about. "You sure about residence, Tasha?" Clint finally asked her as they stepped into the mercifully empty elevator. "You nearly killed your last roommate."

"I am not an idiot," she rolled her eyes. "She's idiotic to be unable to understand that I understand."

The girl who she had roomed with last year was nameless, subjected to negative names. Steve couldn't blame her because he figured he would have become irritable himself if he had some roommate following him about as if he couldn't understand what was going on around him. Thank god he had been paired with Logan, despite the gruffness and constant phone calls from the jail.

It appeared as if the girl she was paired with this year would be no better. Within seconds of basic introductions she was practically demanding to know her life story, manically interested with her accent. "Journalism students," Clint grinned at Steve darkly. "They're all the same."

"What's your major?" Bobbie then demanded of the three of them.

Natasha was already throwing her bags in resting places, leaving Steve and Clint to take control of the conversation. "I'm in Art, and he's in law. She's in history." Steve quickly said, anxious to escape the blonde girl. Bobbie looked sharply interested at Clint, which made them both sigh.

"Russian history?" She blinked at her new roommate.

"European. Let's go."

Clint glanced around the room, taking in the two twin beds pushed fairly close together-something that would be bound to change shortly-, the two desks and the assortment of posters advertising Bobbie's interests. Bobbie looked at them hopefully but Natasha gave Steve a look before walking out of the room while shoving her keys into her pocket. Clint gave her a smirk before following in suit.

.

[ **Steve: on our way. Natasha's roommate sucks.]**

 **[Bruce: have a table. By soda machine.]**

"So, that reaction was incredibly extreme, even for Natasha." Tony mused as he threw his feet up on the chair opposite from him.

Bruce shrugged uncomfortably. "Jetlag might have her on edge. You know, let's not talk about the crazy Russian when she's on her way to meet us." He quickly turned around to make sure she hadn't been standing before him when he had said that.

Tony snorted. "Or the crazy best friend of the Russian?"

Steve waved at them when he entered the café, his white 'I Heart New York' shirt standing out against the other students wearing crop tops and brightly coloured articles of clothing. One girl in particular in a bright pink shirt cut dangerously low made their blonde friend blush as he averted his eyes. "Yeah, stop talking now."

Natasha and Clint followed Steve to the table. "So, because you all are terrible with correspondence, how was your summer?" Steve finally asked once they were all seated around the rectangular shaped table.

Bruce rubbed the back of his neck. "I got a job for a bit working with chemical waste from the labs back home. Then I went to stay with my grandparents up in the mountains."

Tony made a face. "My dad sucked at being a dad, so I just worked in the garage mostly."

Clint gave him a look. "Didn't you hack into the government? It was a big deal for a while." Natasha nodded as she gave him an amused glance.

"Even Miss. New Zealand heard about that?" Tony exclaimed as he clapped his hands together. "Speaking of which, how was it?"

"Terrible. Uncle Ivan is terrible." She glowered at the table. "We argue much, mostly on return to here. He very much against it, said I was waste."

Steve winced at her bad English. She had gotten better at the use of the language, having lived most of her life in an orphanage in Russia before an Uncle appeared out of nowhere to give her a home. The financially stunted orphanage was only too eager to see her leave, and within the past two years she had moved from Canada to Scotland to New Zealand with her only Russian speaking Uncle. Her skill at speaking English had diminished over the four month break.

Clint looked dismayed at what she spoke of and rested a foot on her chair. "The family they paired me with were alright. Two of the kids were like me, are they're going to be students here this year; the one is going into bio chemistry and the other into mechanical engineering. Also, you cannot experiment on him."

"Why not?"

He rolled his eyes. "I want to go back there. They fed me. It was a nice change."

"You could come home with me!" Tony grinned.

"If I did that it would revoke the terms of my scholarship. No." He paused before informing him bluntly, "No, you cannot pay for my tuition."

"Alright, I'm going to grab some food." Steve interjected as he got up with Natasha and walked away from the table.

"Get me something!" Clint called out to Natasha. She ignored him as she dug out her battered leather wallet from her pocket of her black jeans.

"How have you been?" she asked Steve as they got in line at the counter. "You are different."

He shrugged. "My doctor recommended a workout routine to follow to help with asthma. It's actually working, so who knows. I might get impressive or something."

She poked his arm lightly and gave him a sharp smile. "Oh, Captain. Take me away."

"Clint might have something to say about that."

"Stop that."

"Are you two still dancing around each other?"

Natasha blinked at him confused. "I dance, he won't."

"No, I mean you two both like each other but won't do anything about it."

"He thinks we are friends, friends are what we are." She informed him sharply as the line moved up. "You say anything, I end you." She marched up to the cashier and rattled out her order. One vegetarian wrap and a lemonade, along with a cheeseburger and coke. Steve grinned as she purchased both her own and Clint's meal before stepping over to wait for it to be made.

"I'll just take a slice of pizza and water, please." He requested.

.

"So." Tony said as he watched Clint intently. "You and the Russian."

"Technically, she's got her American citizenship."

He waved his hand flippantly. "When are you going to ask her out? This waiting game is killing us."

"She doesn't like me."

"Ten bucks says she'll return with your favorite food like it's no big deal."

Within minutes Tony was proven correct, Clint forking over the ten dollars to the Engineer resentfully. It was a game between the two, usually Clint lost the bet but the amusement was if Tony could return the money without the law student noticing. Natasha set down the tray unfazed by the transaction before her and settled herself down in the chair.

"Nice shirt." She commented on Tony's ACDC apparel. "I need to find dance-" she broke off, faltering as she tried to translate a word to suit her sentence. "Schedule! I need to find dance schedule." She looked pleased to have found the correct word without assistance, something that the group had to stop trying to do for her when they had first met.

Clint shrugged, sticking a straw into his paper cup. "You've got it at nine, but it's just warm ups apparently. You'd probably be better off catching up on sleep and unpack. After tomorrow it'll be at seven from then on."

She nudged her shoulder against his own before nodding. "I am unpractised."

"You'll get back into it." He promised her quietly, watching Steve and Tony get into an argument with Bruce refereeing. "Don't worry."

.

Bruce unloaded his stack of textbooks for his classes on his desk. Steve's side had already been tidied and prepped for the first day of second year and was sprawled out in his bed. "How many books did you need? He asked, looking up from whatever detailed sketch he had been enchanted by.

He quickly sorted through the assortment of textbooks. "Some were recommended by the professors, and I thought the others ones would be good for additional reading." Bruce shrugged as he looked around the room. Steve had pinned up several drawings and painting on the one wall, and he was greeted by the sights of his friends. Tony's face peered out of dark ink which contrasted to the rather excellent blend of radioactive colours that made up Bruce's form bent over a desk. Clint was positioned from a side view, holding a bow carefully in his hands. Natasha was painted similarly to Tony's, a black ink form practising ballet steps. The three other images captured the campus from various angles, focusing on the contrast of different perspectives. "Is that beer beneath your bed?"

"Yeah, the mini fridge won't be here for a little bit, and seeing as we're underage it would probably be best to hide it until then."

Bruce grinned. "Bet you Tony's already bought out a good supply of liquor for the first day."

"First days suck," Steve said blandly as he set the sketchbook down on his desk, stretching to make it from his bed. "There is no such thing as a good day."

"Or a good Monday."

"This is why we'll be good roommates. Already have the foundation to life figured out."

.

"So, is Clint single?" Bobbie asked Natasha as she organized her books on her shelf. The majority Clint had brought over earlier, having taken a box of them for her before the school year ended to make traveling easier, as well as ensuring her Uncle Ivan never caught wind of their existence.

"Yes."

"You're not dating him?"

"No."

"That's so cool he's in law. Like, isn't it great we have a law course here? Does he want to be a lawyer?"

Natasha winced at her rapid speech. "He has not planned for graduation."

"So what is Russia like? Can you say something is Russian?"

She spat something at her oblivious roommate before grabbing her black purse from her bed and walking out of the room.

"What did that mean?"

"Die."

She slammed the door shut behind her.

.

"Are you okay?" Clint asked her, silently handed her a mug of hot chocolate. She was unpacking his boxes in a tense sort of anger, grabbing handfuls of clothing and stowing them into his drawers. "Because you have your angry face on."

He went to touch her arm when she flinched suddenly, backing away from him slowly.

They watched each other carefully before Clint finally made the first move. He sat down on the edge of his freshly made bed, thanks to the anxious Russian, before patting the mattress beside him. She remained frozen against the wall, watching him in a calculating manner before he spoke again quietly. "You and I can play this game for a while, but we need to talk. We have to talk."

Natasha slowly crept closer before sitting down a couple inches away from Clint. Her gaze remained fixated on her hands clenched together. "It is okay."

"That's a bullshit word, you know."

She blinked at him, frustrated that she couldn't quite understand what he was saying.

Clint frowned, trying to reword his sentences. "You're not okay. I know you, Natasha. Something happened over the summer that you do not want to talk about."

"I don't want to talk."

"I know." He paused before pushing a little further cautiously. "You should though."

She was beginning to ball her anger up tighter and he could see her become more and more defensive sitting beside him. He felt confident as he watched this aggravation spread throughout her, making her feel something other than fear.

"You don't order me." Natasha snapped at him before flying to her feet to pace around the room. "You don't get this, anything! I am unable to tell you this. So, stop pushing at me. You are not my Uncle, why should I explain?"

Clint's eyes widened. "Your Uncle did something."

She swore at him before attempting to storm out of the room before Clint managed to intercept her, slamming the door shut with his foot. "Do not touch me," she seethed as red hair fell across her pale face.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"Liar."

That hurt, he had to admit. He ignored it though to gently force her to sit down in his desk chair while remaining aware for the first sign of her lashing out. The previous year they had spent many mornings sparring in one of the courtyards on campus, much to Tony's delight. He had made a massive profit due to the betting that swept over their audience. So despite how she had yet to try to do any more than push him off her, he didn't trust her for a moment.

Clint kept a hold of her hands carefully. "What happened to you? You've been out of sorts ever since you've gotten here."

She glared at him. "Why does this concern you?"

"You've been moody lately, and you clawed some guy's face up. What happened to you? You're not leaving this room until you start talking."

Natasha jerked her hands out of his grip and shoved the sleeves of her black sweater up her skinny arms. The pale skin revealed the violently dark bruises that marked her arms. "There are more that you cannot see."

"Oh God," Clint breathed, sitting down on the bed. All the fight seemed to have slipped out of Natasha, leaving to exhausted and quiet students sitting across from each other. "What was he doing?"

"I am in a boy program," she huffed. "I am girl; I should be working for his business, bringing him much money. I say no, I say I want life beyond Rouge and then he drugs me. I wake up alone with everything wrong, and then he's upset when he sees me cry. He tell me then if I do not accept this he will beat me until I do. He beat me until I stop crying."

They sat in utter silence.

.

Tony opened a textbook quietly in the coffee café. He had gone to his first class which he deemed a complete and utter waste of time, already having a better understanding than the teacher. The one factor interesting was the foreign exchange student who seemed to maybe be on equal understanding of him. He rolled him eyes and jammed his ear buds into his ears and began bopping his head to the angry noise.

Café Manhattan was located at the heart of the campus and was a rather large coffee shop. Tables were crammed everywhere in a way that was actually fairly cozy. The drinks there were the sorts with the crazy names, like Black Widow or the Smash. Tony himself favoured the Iron Type, an expresso type drink with raspberry shots.

Bruce walked in through the front doors with eyes squinted from the bright light. The engineer scoffed at his Beatles shirt. "I cannot believe I am friends with someone with such mainstream music."

He snorted as he placed a bag the chair and riffled through for his wallet, "Please, like AC DC isn't."

"You bite your bloody tongue; my music is timeless and damn well legendary. Go get a drink so I continue to scold you for your terrible words." Tony spoke sharply, giving an exaggerated gasp of pain at Bruce's friendly words.

Within minutes the physics student returned to the table carrying a bright green juice called the Brute Hulk, complete with a neon straw. "How's the apartment?" Bruce asked him as he took a seat.

"Grand. I got the bar stocked up, so whenever you feel like you're breaking down, I am the man." Tony said as he quirked a brow. "How's living with Mr. Clean?"

"Nothing has exploded, he doesn't play with chemicals and it's very unlikely he's going to bring in stray animals from the streets. It is satisfactory."

"The dogs were to distress! For finals, man. Anyways, I thought you were allergic to small dogs!"

Bruce snorted. "Yes, because that is how allergies work."

.

"So you're from Sweden?" Steve asked the blonde student during his sculpting class. The new comer had a rather intricate hammer like creation before him as he slowly worked at engraving what almost looked like runs into the handle.

"That is correct. My father supposed it be best if I went to America for schooling to learn." Thor said back, eyeing the tea pot before Steve. "That is quite good, you major in art?"

"Yeah, this is my second year. You?"

"I'm in business, my father owns the Rainbow Bridge Airlines?"

"Your father is Mr. Odin?"

.

Bobbie jumped out of her bed eagerly at the sound of the door knocking. "Who is it?" She called as she tried to detangle the blankets from around her ankles.

"Clint."

Her eyes widened as she quickly opened the door. "Hello! I haven't seen you since move in day."

"It was three days ago."

"I've barely seen Natasha since move in day."

Clint could tell, looking around and seeing the partially unpacked books and clothes. His lips twitched at the sight of the box covered in her firm instructions for him to follow. Her books meant a rather great deal to her, he understood that. She had the freedom to read in English and to pick what exactly she wanted to understand. The books she was unable to take with her for the summer, so she had left a rather heavy box for him to protect, labeling reminders on the side that these were in fact Natasha's books and there would be hell to pay if they were damaged.

"Yeah, well she's been busy. You mind if I wait here for her?"

She smiled at him. "Of course not! Any friend of Tasha's is a friend of mine, after all."

He snorted. "Probably shouldn't call her that."

"Oh, we're super close. We've been bonding nonstop." She flipped her hand at him as she watched him begin to unpack the box of books properly. Natasha had a way of organizing her books in which she was particular about.

"What is this bonding?" Natasha spoke from the open door. Bobbie's face flushed at the arrival of her roommate. "You wait for long?"

Clint shrugged. "I figured you'd be a few minutes. How was dance?"

Natasha gave a slightly cross reply, "Dance was long. New people think it is like trend, kick legs up and twirl. They do not want to train the way they should, they make things slow."

"They'll drop like flies when you show them up."

She gave a short laugh, before frowning. "What it is that you think you're doing?"

"Unpacking. You did it to me."

"Later, archer. I'm hungry."

"You say that now but you'll eat maybe five bites?" Clint gave her a sharp look. Tony had caught onto her eating habits after doing research for a psychology class that ballet was a sport that brought up quite a few concerns of eating habits, due to how aesthetic it was. Clint and the rest tried to monitor her eating habits since then, but it was difficult to get her to sit down long enough to eat properly. It was difficult enough to break Tony's no sleep ideology or Steve's punch-the-punching-bag-until-my-hands-are-bleeding routine.

Natasha made a face at him. "I'll eat."

"I'll come with you!" Bobbie exclaimed. "My dinner plans fell through, and I'm starving."

She was already bouncing her way out the door before either of them could say no.

.

 **[Natasha: My roommate is an idiot.]**

 **[Tony: say the word and I'll have her shipped to Iraq.]**

 **[Natasha: considering.]**

 **[Steve: you can't ship people away Tony.]**

 **[Tony: yo, moral compass. This was a private chat.]**

 **[Natasha: you invite him, did you not?]**

 **[Clint: can we ship her? She keeps touching my arm.]**

 **[Clint: and laughing.]**

 **[Bruce: NO.]**

 **[Tony: next time I'll obviously make a facebook chat for Natasha and clint and i. Because you two don't understand how to deal with people properly.]**

 **[Bruce: didn't you sleep with a journalism student named Bobbie last year Tony?]**

 **[Tony: holy shit is she blonde?]**

 **[Natasha: yes.]**

 **[Tony: yoooooo she's getting shipped.]**

 **[Thor: greetings friends!]**

 **[Bruce: Hello?]**

 **[Tony: Steve, stop being nice.]**

 **[Tony: who is this?]**

 **[Thor: Thor Odin.]**

 **[Tony: he can stay.]**

.

"So, you want me to just sit here and let you draw me?" Peggy grinned at him as she watched him slowly arranged his pencils and eraser. "Just like the Titanic, huh?"

Steve returned the smile. "I'd prefer if you'd stay clothed though, my professor wouldn't appreciate the details."

"I do believe you're blushing, Mr. Rogers."

"Oh, sit still. And stop speaking." He said to her, any bite to his words diminished by the grin on his face.

"Don't you want to _fondue_?"

Steve began to sputter.

Score one for the business student, Peggy mused.

.

Gamora tossed Natasha an apple. "So, what is this about your roommate? Tony told Peter all about her."

"Peter slept with her, didn't he?" Natasha wrinkled her nose as she settled on the grass next to the other girl. The weather was warm, making her regret wearing the long sleeved shirt and jeans. However the bruises and cuts were to problematic in their existence to be seen. "Why do boys think, yes, she is the one I was pelvis magic with?"

She smirked. "They're idiots."

"You live with four boys, correct?"

"Peter is hard to pinpoint a gender on." Gamora teased the Russian as she recalled her first roommate, a rather butch girl with facial hair who was hard pressed on living somewhere due to a living situation with his foster brother not working out. The entire situation was that after said foster brother beat him half to death, an aerospace engineer needed someone to rent a room in a four bedroom house. Since then they had clichéd together in a way she still had difficulty understanding. "I believe that since first meeting him, he has remained strictly male."

The entire household seemed more destructive than safe. The engineer spent spare time making explosives, while a second roommate converted the backyard into a massive garden. The third roommate was only at the university due to a football scholarship, studying communications. Gamora was the recent addition to the mess, rooming with her boyfriend Peter.

"Do you imagine that they will behave ever?" Natasha said as she tossed the apple from hand to hand. After a few seconds she finally consented to taking a bite.

Gamora gave her a look. _No._

 _._

"So, I was thinking since they're playing a bunch of old musicals at the Mayburg theatre, you and I should go." Peter announced to Gamora as he threw his bag down upon entering their bedroom. Gamora was bent over a laptop reviewing articles for her Criminology course. "Because, I want to see you watch Footloose."

Without saying a single word she pulled out two tickets out of her pocket and handed them to him.

.

 **[Tony: have your allergies gone away now?]**

 **[Bruce: for someone so intelligent you have a remarkable lack of understanding of allergies.]**

 **.**

"Bobbie?" Clint asked surprised as he opened the door. "I thought you were someone else."

She didn't give him any chance but to let her into his single bedroom, slipping her way through the slight opening. "You're tidy," she commented as she looked around briefly. "Archery?" Bobbie noted the bow and arrows sitting in the corner.

"Yeah."

"So, I think it's pretty obvious that I like you." Bobbie began, sitting on the edge of his desk. His bed was littered with papers and textbooks from his attempts to complete his essay on liberalism before Natasha came over. "Don't try to deny it."

He gave a slight smirk. "Trust me, I'm not denying it."

She gave him a bright smile. "Of course. I also happen to know that you like me. You're always around the dorm, and I know you can't be seeing Natasha."

"Why's this?"

"She's Natasha."

He gets angry and doesn't realize that those words distract him from understanding that she's suddenly right in front of him and is kissing him and suddenly the door opens up behind him.

.

Thor sat down across from the Russian redhead. Café Manhattan was filled with students who formed a rather massive line up in their desire for coffee. He'd been lucky enough to beat the rush, and so had Natasha it seemed. She was bent over a large textbook with a cup of tea and saucer next to her. "Greetings, friend." He said to her warmly as he claimed the seat across. "You do not mind?"

She looked up at him and blinked. "Help yourself."

"The day is quite warm. I'm unused to this weather, except for when father took my brother and I on vacations."

"You have brother?"

"Foster, he likes to point out. He is very sensitive to the title."

Natasha peers at him thoughtfully. "I can understand, I think. You are from Sweden, yes?"

He nods. "We are both foreigners, are we not?"

"American citizenship now, my Uncle decides that I should be reunited. He does paperwork and he take me from Russia, and off we go." She shrugs. She looks angry at the idea of this man, and he tries to imagine what her uncle looks like. Is he a red headed beast of a man, similar to Thor's family, or maybe a slim figure hairless? His identity keeps changing in his mind, undefined.

"May I ask something?" When she nods, he continues. "Why do you look so sad?"

Her lips twist into a bitter smile. "Sadness is life, friend."

He drinks his black coffee and savours the burn of it.

.

 **[Tony: I'm thinking about a party tonight.]**

 **[Natasha: I'm busy.]**

 **[Tony: anti socialism does not suit you.]**

 **[Clint: can I talk to you in person?]**

 **[Natasha Romanoff has logged off.]**

 **[Tony: me?]**

 **[Clint: URGH]**

 **[Steve: What did you do?]**

 **[Bruce: did you steal her books again?]**

 **[star lord: you totally slept with bobbie. Whyyyyyy.]**

 **[Clint: I didn't sleep with her.]**

 **[Tony: just made out with her.]**

 **[star lord: you bleeding idiot.]**

 **[Steve: no wonder why she's pissed.]**

 **[Tony: so no party?]**

 **.**

Rocket glowered at Peter. "What the fucking hell do you want?"

"Have you slept?" The music student demanded as he took in the mess of wires tangled over the kitchen table. "Also, Drax will kill you if you blow up another wall again."

He shrugged. "I don't need fucking sleep, I made a thing of coffee," he said as he pointed to the pot of coffee. "Or, I made a pot. Whatever. Listen, man. I'm trying to make this gun cooperate and you yappin' is doing neither of us any favours."

"This for school?"

"What do you think?"

Peter sighed. "Recreational. Gotcha. DRAX!" He shouted suddenly and the kitchen was filled with people. Gamora and Groot followed the hulking communications student into the room. "He's building weapons again and he's not sleeping."

"What's your problem, anyways?"

"I don't want to wake up in a fucking crater! Remember that bomb you left lying around?"

"So who made you the fucking guardian of the universe?"

Drax cocked his head slightly. "Why exactly is Peter controlling the universe?"

"It's an expression." Gamora seethed. "You, go to bed."

"Coffee will stop you from growing," Peter informed.

"Go to bloody hell, you fuckin' idiot."

.

Steve looked at the poster for the art gala, celebrating the end of September. Already the art department had begun piecing together work from the various already completed work done by students-dark edgy pieces lining the walls that contrasted rather brightly against the brighter, more upbeat types. His were already assembled, comic book styled images of his friends garbed as super heroes. He'd been rather impressed with the turn out. Thor's sculpting was featured in the center of the room, a rather detailed city designed with a more fantasy element. The entire thing glistened underneath the light, the glaze setting off the piece brilliantly.

"Are you inviting anyone as a date, Steve?" Thor asked as he caught up to his friend. "Or, are you the stag, as people seem to say it here."

"I'm asking Peggy to go with me, but a bunch of us are going as a group. Do you want to join us?"

"That sounds excellent. May I bring a date with me?"

"Who's the lucky girl?"

Thor grinned. "Her name is Jane, and she studies physics. I believe she may be of friends with Bruce. Her friend in fact apparently asked Tony out herself."

"Darcy is Jane's friend? I think Tony couldn't tell if he was more pleased someone asked him out for a change, or was upset he couldn't ask himself."

"She is a spitfire indeed. Have Natasha and Clinton made peace as of yet?"

Steve's good mood slipped away. "Clint refuses to apologise and Natasha refuses to talk to him. Apparently Clint's trying to piss her off, so he asked Bobbie to the gala."

"She said yes, hasn't she?"

"Between the two, Clint's likely to get engaged to Bobbie if it'll mean Natasha will just blow up and have it out with him. Apparently she hasn't been to her dorm room in three days. She got sick of him being there with Bobbie."

Thor cocked his head. "I thought I heard from someone that Natasha is going to the dance with someone."

"Clint'll be pleased."

.

Matthew Murdock waited patiently outside the library. The sun felt warm on his face and the music that came from his IPod easily drowned out the noise from around him. A soft hand on his shoulder allowed him to realize that Natasha was already standing in front of him. He quickly pulled the earbuds out and pressed the button on his watch. "Eight-Twenty-Four-AM." A mechanical voce announced. "You're early," he grinned.

"Class end quickly, quicker than I think it would." She explained as she sat down next. "How is your morning?"

"Better now. I was thinking about a coffee, actually. Peter was up late last night. He apparently turned the kitchen into some sort of photography studio that'll get ruined if I open the door or something."

"He enters these in gala, right?"

His hands automatically reached for her textbook and notebook, pressing them close to his chest. "Apparently he had already submitted his work. These are extra credit, something for his scholarship. Come on; let's go to Devil's Dare."

"You are addict to coffee," she spoke in a light voice, and he could almost hear her smile. "You boys all think coffee is best, but tea is better for you."

He rolled his eyes. "Not everyone is as perfect as you, ballerina. May I escort you to the coffee shop?"

Slowly they stood together, his cane hitting the ground in an easy rhythm and her carefully leading him down the walkway. The buildings all looked brilliant in the bright sunny morning, trees slowly melting into reds and oranges. Some students were lying in the grass on the quad, reading textbooks and huddled in small groups. Already a few leaves were beginning to fall from the trees.

"So, why do you sound even more tired than yesterday? I thought you were going to get some sleep last night?"

Natasha wrinkled her nose. "Clint and Bobbie watch movie, loud volume. I go to Gamora's but her roommate broke ceiling. Much shouting."

.

 **[Clint: can we talk?]**

 **[Clint: im serious.]**

 **[Bobbie: so are you mad?]**

 **.**

"Good God man, you totally are being a douche." Tony sighed. "Man, you should see the goddamn dreamboat she came up with. You've been replaced, and he's awesome."

Clint glared. "Thanks, man. That's totally helpful." An explosion boomed from the TV, an image of army men being thrown backwards following the noise. "Also, rockets are not cool!"

"Then stop trying to shoot me." Tony frowned. "Anyways, you gonna spill about whatever happened between you and Bobbie? I thought you were totally against her, at any rate."

Clint paused the game and glared at the large red letters. "What do you want to hear? She kissed me, and I didn't try to stop her. Natasha walked in. Natasha won't listen. Natasha is driving me insane, and now she's seeing someone. Since when does she see people? Natasha doesn't see people."

"No, Natasha terrifies people."

"Exactly."

"So how are you going to fix this mess you started?"

"Kill off the new guy?"

Tony rolled his eyes and pressed play, the TV instantly coming back to life with movement and volume. One army man was giving a muffled pep talk in the background. "No. I like this guy. Steve likes him quite a bit, and I'm willing to wager Natasha is quite fond of him as well. Also, you'd have to be a tool to kill a blind guy."

"He's blind?"

"Jesus Christ on a bloody bike, you lack proper observance skills."

"I'm a little preoccupied with keeping Bobbie from ripping out my heart."

"I have no sympathy for you. You put yourself into this hole, you climb out yourself."

Clint narrowed his eyes at the screen before smirking.

"STOP SHOOTING ME, GODDAMN IT!"

.

"Gwen."

"Peter."

"Go to the gala with me?"

"Why?"

"I think you're incredible."

"I think you have a date."

.

"Have you been eating?" Peter asked Gamora casually as she sat cross legged on the kitchen table, thankfully cleaned from any weapons. Rocket and Groot had left the house, the latter having forcefully dragged the other one away to go shopping for more pots. "I know you've been practicing for your recital."

"Have no fear. I made plans to go out with some classmates." She rolled her green eyes. "You need to stop stressing."

He huffed out a short laugh. "Please, I'm the calmest that there ever was." Peter opened the fridge and took out a beer. "Who you going with?"

"Skye and May."

"Isn't May a little anti-social?"

"Of course she is. I think Skye wanted Thai food, or something. I just want food. I'll try to keep them from the bars."

Peter snorted. "I seem to remember you having a record for bar brawls."

"Rocket started it."

.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"I'm really sorry, and I'm really drunk. Please come and get me."

"It's three in the morning, you so fucking owe me."

"One more brawl to add to my record."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"I'm at the station."

"Yeah, I know where you're at. Hang on. I love you."

.

The gala was hosted in the arts center. It was the best building to host it, with its wide open spaces and large glass windows. It was an architect's orgasm, Tony claimed frequently. The group was gathered outside the large white stone building, gazing up at the scarlet banner. "So, do we have everyone?" Steve asked, squeezing Peggy's hand. She was dressed in a cherry red dress with her hair pinned up.

"Natasha and Matthew said they would arrive with Bruce, Betty, Peter and Gamora." Tony said, scanning names off of his phone. "Can we go now?"

Darcy rolled her eyes, "Are you going to calm down soon?"

"I wanna show you off," he winked at her. "Come on. I hear cameras and we need to bomb any pictures being taken."

"And we're off!" She giggled as she tugged him up the stairs to the building, wobbling on her glittering stilettos. "Don't do drugs, kids."

"Why do I feel like they couldn't be any more perfect for each other?" Steve sighed.

"They were probably made in heaven," Jane said as she grimaced. "Darcy's been drinking insane amounts of red bull to cope with the nerves. I don't even know how she asked him out in the first place."

.

"You looked stunning," Matthew grinned as he felt her hands touch his cautiously. "Never seen a better dance."

"What a lawyer," Natasha teased. "You wait so I get dressed? I be only a few minutes."

He squeezed her hand. "You take your time, and I'll watch all the pretty girls."

.

Bobbie glowered at him. "What's your problem tonight, anyways?"

"I don't like dances." He kept his eyes to the table.

"Your friends don't like me, do they?"

.

"So, what exactly did you think of it?" Gamora asked Peter as she unpinned her hair. "Ballet isn't really your thing."

He grinned at her as he leaned against the wall in the emptied dressing room. The room itself was filled with costumes and props, and currently his girlfriend was studying both of their reflections in the large full length mirror. "I do admire the leg stretches, trust me."

"You're such a pig," she said scoffing.

"Yeah, well you lie with this pig. If that makes you feel any better."

"It doesn't, to be quite honest. I've been meaning to tell you that I'm leaving you for Drax. He doesn't prattle on about musicals, after all."

He rolled his eyes. "Please, you love my musicals. "

Gamora gave him a cheeky grin.

.

"Can I have this dance?" Clint asked Natasha quietly, finding her standing along the wall by herself. The entire dancefloor was filled with dancers who looked almost like glitter beneath the soft lights, jewelry and dresses catching the light perfectly. "I know you like this song."

She frowned at him. "Where is she-devil?"

His lips quirked. "She's gone, Natasha. She left, and it's over." The smile faded away, because he did feel terrible. Bobbie liked him quite a bit, and he'd only used her to make Natasha jealous. "I'm sorry, I never should have done any of this."

"You are right." She was glaring now, subtly backing away from him. "You should not toy with people."

Matthew and his roommate suddenly appeared, Peter Parker having led him from the punch bowl and back to his date. "Natasha?" He asked, hands wrapped around two plastic clear glasses filled with red juice.

"I am here." She took one glass and then slipped her hand into his. "Now, you are here."

"Hey, I'm Peter." Peter greeted Clint. "Natasha's friend?"

"Yeah, I'm Clint."

"I believe Tony may have spiked the juice already." Natasha grinned at Matthew. "I taste vodka."

Matthew tried some punch. "I think you're right. I thought he was joking about spiking it. How did he even sneak in the vodka, anyways? I thought the professors had him flagged for being a loose cannon?"

"It's Tony," she scoffed. "I also blame his date. Never looser cannon. Do you want to dance?"

"Always." Matthew tugged her in the direction of the dance floor, calling over his shoulder to Peter. "That's my cue."

"Try not to run innocent people over." Peter rolled his eyes.

Matthew smirked. "That's why I dance with the dancer."

Natasha's laugh almost echoed.

.

Bruce tugged on his bright green tie that matched Betty's dress perfectly. "Have I told you that I think you look gorgeous?"

"So you've said. Multiple times." Her grin betrayed her dry tone.

"Well, just have to make sure you're able to understand exactly how beautiful you look."

"Charmer."

.

 **[Natasha: matthew and I are heading out now with peter and gwen.]**

 **[Steve: already?]**

 **[Natasha: im tired, and people are leaving. Matthew wants to walk me home.]**

 **[Steve: want to get breakfast in the morning? Practice is canceled tmrw, right?]**

 **[Natasha: eight work for you at Asgard's?]**

 **[Steve: see you then.]**

 **.**

Bruce groaned as he heard Steve's alarm go off. "It's Friday, why are you even getting up? Your class isn't until eleven." He flipped over on his back to get a proper of his roommate.

Steve was already sitting up and reaching for him phone which was vibrating on his night stand. Swing music was going off loudly, which made Bruce sigh and Steve grin. "You always such a pleasant morning person?"

"I'm still used to Tony."

"Who never wakes up until one." Steve replied, switching the alarm off. "I'm going for breakfast. Do you want to come? Or do you want me to pick something up for you?"

"Muffin." Bruce pulled the covers over his head. "Chocolate chip."

Steve chuckled. "Go back to sleep."

"Whatever," he mumbled. Soon snoring filled the room.

Steve pulled on his already laid out clothes and grabbed his keys before heading out. He made sure the door shut behind him quietly before taking off.

.

"You are late." She informed him. "I've been waiting."

"It's been three minutes!"

"Late." She gave him a grin. "I want food, so you lead."

Asgard's was one of the few restaurants on campus and was popular due to the famous spread of foods it had out on the buffet. Everything from the standard campus fare and more. Last year during Thanksgiving they had served boar, deep fried turkey and some strange desert that Steve swore was diabetes on a platter. Steve grabbed a plate of eggs, pancakes and sausages while Natasha served herself strawberries, French toast and slices of oranges.

"So, this is nice." Steve said. "We haven't had breakfast yet this year, have we?"

"With your runs and my practices, no." She replied as she carefully cut her toast. "Last night was a very good time. Peggy looked beautiful."

Steve beamed. "Peggy always looks gorgeous. You looked pretty nice yourself."

"I messed up last night, in routine. Very bad mistake. Madame shout at me afterwards." Natasha scrunched her nose up. "It was annoying."

"None of us noticed, and we're the only ones who matter."

"That is true." She consented, smirking. "This food is very good, I missed Asgard's over the summer."

Steve sighed, before finally giving into the conversation that he'd been waiting to have with her. "Do you like Matthew?"

She stiffened, any warmth in her tone dissolving immediately. He recognized her actions, the way she was already distancing herself away from him. "What does this matter to you? Matthew and I are private."

"I know. I'm just concerned that you might be rushing into this, because of the way Clint's been going on. Which has been terrible, and I've been against it the entire time. I just want to know if you and this guy are serious, because I care. I don't want to see you getting hurt anymore."

"Clint and I were close, and then he kisses the one person he knows I hate the most here. He kisses her, and then they go around holding hands. Always in my room with her, knowing how I feel. Not knowing, and now I don't feel quite the same way. Matthew is straight forward with me, always informing me exactly how he feel. He knows about Clint, and he knows my feelings. We are very good friends, maybe bit more." She ranted, eyes suddenly bright with anger and frustration. "I know Clint does not like this, but I do not do this for him."

Steve carefully took her hand, very much aware that he was invading her space. "That's all I wanted to know. I just want to make sure you're happy."

.

 **[Steve: damn you screwed up big time.]**

 **[Clint: how bad do you think this is?]**

 **[Steve: flying a plane into the ocean bad.]**

 **[Clint: I've got to fix this.]**

 **[Bruce: you really do.]**

 **[Tony: just for the record, matthew is great and we should totally keep him.]**

 **[Clint: you like him more than me, don't you?]**

 **[Tony: it's up in the air at the moment.]**

 **[Clint: fuck you.]**

 **[Thor: perhaps this attitude is one that you may find beneficial to changing. Arrogance does not suit you, my friend.]**

 **[Bruce: I'm with Thor.]**

 **.**

"So, I think we need a little chat." Gwen gave the girl in front of her a wide smile, sitting down across the table from her. "Because I'm a little sick of you."

The red head looked up. "Who are you?"

"Peter's girlfriend."

Suddenly the intrusion made sense. "What do you want?"

"You to stop coming onto my boyfriend, stop feeling his arm up and generally stop making him uncomfortable. If you're capable of such things." The blonde cocked her head. "Trust me when I say that my patience is running thin. You are not going to get your hands on my boyfriend even if you shoved me off a tower."

"Leave me alone."

"Leave him alone."

.

 **[Peter: who is this?]**

 **[star lord: NAME BUDDIES.]**

.

"Who the fuck is Star Lord?" Peter demanded Steve randomly, grabbing him by the shoulder. "He sends me pictures of cats with beards and random questions and music videos with really old music."

Steve laughed.

.

Sam ran the track. The morning air was pleasantly cool and slowly the campus was beginning to wake up around him. Two girls sat on the bleachers taking what he presumed were selfies, and already a few other runners were up slowly jogging the paved track.

Except for one.

"On your left."

The blonde runner ran past.

"On your left."

Again he sprinted past Sam.

"On your left."

"DAMNIT!"

.

"So, you can have Clint now." Bobbie told Natasha is a frosty tone. "I don't care about him anyways. So if you're into having my leftovers, go for it."

"That is quite rude." Natasha informed her as she yanked off her black sweater carelessly and turned away from her roommate as she began searching her closet. Bobbie suddenly gasped behind her, making Natasha roll her eyes. "Relax."

Bobbie drew nearer. "What are those?"

"Scars."

"From where?"

"I'm with the mafia."

.

 **[Tony: I got this incredibly random text from the she devil demanding if I knew you were in the mafia.]**

 **[Tony: good news, she's moving out.]**

 **[Natasha: if I'd know this be easy, I'd do sooner.]**

 **[Tony: she mentioned you have scars?]**

 **[Natasha: you mention and you have scars.]**

 **[Steve: just going to point out, group conversation.]**

 **[Natasha: I feel an odd desire to 'hang' out with you, stark.]**

 **[Tony: NO.]**

 **[star lord: so, are you in the mafia? Because you in drax would be awesome if you joined up.]**

 **[Clint: CAN WE TALK?]**

 **[Natasha: I believe that question should be 'may we talk'.**

 **[Tony: ohhhhhhhh.]**

 **[Bruce: I applaud.]**

 **[Clint: you two, shut up. Natasha, may we please talk?]**

 **[Natasha Romanoff Has Logged Off.]**

 **.**

"This was not invitation to come over, you know."

"I need to talk to you."

"I need to go to practise."

"Please!"

"What do you want?"

"It's been two months, Natasha. I miss you, I want to be friends. I hate that I screwed things up so badly, and I understand that you're seeing Matthew now. I just really want to at least be able to talk to you without having to actually hunt you down."

"Fine."

"What?"

"I said fucking fine!"

"So we're fine now?"

"You are imbecile."

.

"Reading week losers. I've got booze, and I've got terrible reality television. Bruce, you in?"

"Alcoholic father or alcoholic friend. The choices I need to make, gosh darn it." Bruce rolled his eyes as he fiddled with his scarf. Already snow was falling, something he'd been dreading a great deal.

Steve leaned against the brick wall himself. "I'm going with Peggy to meet her family in England."

"Sucker." Tony announced flatly. "Wanna hear a tragedy?"

"Shoot." Steve waved him hand.

"Natasha and Matthew are no longer a 'maybe'. They've split up and are just friends. Apparently he found somebody else now anyways."

Bruce winced. "Poor Natasha. She going to kill this girl yet?"

"Nah, Natasha and him are totally cool. Apparently this girl is alright anyways. For an arts major." Tony shrugged.

"Just so we're all aware, at least half of your friends are in the arts. And political science isn't exactly a science course. So, unless you place Darcy in a whole different category-"

"Of course I put her in a different category from you freaks! Actually, she and I are celebrating are one month this week. I'm making her a taser."

Bruce face palmed. "Jane's gonna kill you and I'm just going to watch."

"She doesn't want jewelry, gift cards are apparently bad gifts and she has way to many books."

"EReader?" Steve suggested.

"I tried that once and she went on an entire rant on how books in their physical form were better than digitalized, and then we began debating popup books that led to something else."

"You're disgusting."

.

"You want to grab something to eat?" Clint asked Natasha carefully, looking around her dorm room. The two single beds were shoved together and she'd made good use of Bobbie's old furniture. Her bookshelf was occupied by Natasha's textbooks, and her closet was filled with extra clothing. "We could go to Manhattan's."

She shrugged. "It'll be packed right now."

"Devil's Dare? Galaxies?"

Natasha rummaged through her bag, sorting out papers. "I should study, midterms start next week." She pulled out an envelope with her named written in green ink, handwriting he recognized as Gamora's. "Pictures?" She offered him the rather thick envelope.

Pictures spilled out onto her bed and he looked through. Steve and Peggy leaning against the wall, Peggy smirking and Steve laughing. Another one of Thor and Jane with Tony and Darcy in the background photobombing it. Natasha and Gamora standing side by side in their dance costumes, each giving a hint of a smile. Clint and Gamora talking while Peter and oddly enough Steve photo bombed, and more. All of their friends were laid out before Clint, and he couldn't stop looking.

Until he saw a picture of Matthew and Natasha arm in arm.

"Your performance was really good that night, I don't know if I ever had the chance to tell you that." He told her as he carefully piled the cards. "Are you going to frame these?"

Natasha nodded. "I'd like to. Tony say to me earlier that I am welcomed this summer with him, and I can bring everything with me. He says that he'll be staying in his apartment."

"Has your Uncle been phoning you lately?" Clint asked her, and just as he got the words out her phone went off. Loud and angry classical music filled the room and he winced.

She answered in Russian and soon enough he could hear the angry Russian shouting from the other end of the line. He said something that made Natasha stiffen and hang up the phone, her face pale and emotionless.

"Natasha?" he asked quietly.

"I need to pack." She said flatly. "If you don't mind."

He didn't leave and she didn't make him. He watched as she packed her duffle bag, slowly folding sweaters and jeans and finally putting in a knife.

.

 **[Darcy: &!^ %#]**

 **[Jane: use your words.]**

 **[Darcy: he made me a taser. A TASER.]**

 **[Jane: I'm going to literally kill him.]**

 **[Darcy: I feel like a Disney princess!]**

 **.**

Natasha hugged herself as she sat huddled in her closet. Her bedroom was just the same as how she had left it. Bright red walls and a bed made up of silk sheets. She wants to cry and she wants to hide from everything.

.

"Brucey!" Tony shouted as he entered the apartment.

"Go away!" He heard someone cry out from the living room.

Tony found him lying face down on the couch, music from his IPod playing softly in the air. Tony wrinkled his nose at the sound 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand'. "Meeting with Betty's dad didn't go well?"

"He forbid me from seeing her," He looked up at him. "Said he wasn't going to let his daughter date a monster."

"You're going to let him scare you?"

"He's a general. Of course he strikes fear into my heart."

.

Natasha looked at her phone. It had been buzzing nonstop all week, leaving her with a large amount of unopened messages.

 **[star lord: how's your week? Can you get me a kilt?]**

 **[Tony: im picking you up at the airport.]**

 **[Clint: are you okay?]**

 **[Peter: Matthew tells me to tell you that he says hello.]**

She turned her phone off.

.

 _WELCOME HOME RUSSIAN SPY_ said the sign, bright red lettering standing out against the black background. Tony stood against the crowd, jumping up and down in place with eagerness. "Natasha!" He shouted, as if the flamboyant sign that apparently glittered hadn't caught her attention already. "Welcome back to America!"

Her lips twitched. "Stark."

"Are you in the mood for a hug, or will you claw my eyes out if I try?"

Natasha winced; imaging is tight grip around her bruised ribs. "I'd rather no hugs."

He easily stole her duffle bag away from her tired grip and slung his leather jacket around her. "It's been snowing since you've been gone. Didn't think you'd be warm enough when we got out of here."

"Thank you," she whispered as she slipped her arms into the sleeves properly. "I think I am needing your help-this has become too much," her heart lurched in her chest as she spoke very quietly against the dull roar of the crowd.

"For you? I'd break a goddamn law."

.

"Has anyone seen Tony?" Peter asked as he jumped over the couch to settle down beside Steve. The art student scowled as the movement had disrupted his flow of drawing. "Sorry, man."

"He went to get Natasha hours ago. The roads are bad, so maybe he's just taking it slowly." Steve said. "We've been waiting for them to get back so we can go for dinner. Though at this rate we might as well go now."

Matthew grinned as he typed something on his laptop, earbuds informing him of whatever was on his screen. "Do you really think Stark will let the weather dictate how he drives?"

He sighed. "I'm hoping he'll consider the angry and violent Russian who happens to be his passenger."

"Unless that passenger happens to be Lewis, nothing will make him consider another person." Clint cut in. "Apparently he was inching along at twenty per mile when they drove in the rain."

Thor laughed loudly. "Tony Stark is quite the character."

"Didn't you say your brother would be joining us next semester?" Steve asked as he set aside his thick sketchbook that Peggy had purchased for him as a surprise. He'd been drawing down forms for the past hour, drawings of ballerinas with no faces.

His laughter died away. "My brother has been peculiar lately. Loki spent some time digging around father's files when he took on a stroke and discovered forms for adoption. Since then his behaviour has been bleak and restless."

"Did you know he was adopted?" Matthew asked before his phone buzzed. "Excuse me-" He got up from the couch and wandered away slowly, his cane tapping against the carpeted floor as he answered the cellphone. "Who is this?" they heard him ask before his voice faded.

"My father and mother had kept very quiet about this," Thor said. "I never knew until afterwards."

 **[Tony: red and I are just in the parking lot. Meet you in the lounge.]**

 **[Steve: great. We're all here except for Bruce. What took you so long?]**

 **[Tony: legal stuff.]**

 **[Steve: you totally got pulled for speeding didn't you?]**

 **[Tony: if I told you I'd have to kill you.]**

Matthew returned to the group again, this time leading a stranger with long hair. "This would be my new roommate, Foggy Nelson. Foggy Nelson, everyone."

"What happened to Parker?" Bruce asked from where he stood behind Peter and Steve. The two jumped, not hearing him approach.

"He's doing an internship back in New York. It's supposed to be for some bigshot newspaper that'll be good for his photography. He arranged to sublet."

"Greetings, earthlings." Foggy greeted cheerily. "I've been told we're getting food. And if that is true, excellent. If not, we should get food."

Matthew smirked. "Is Natasha here yet?"

"They just entered the lounge," Steve told him. He waved his hand at the two and waited for them to arrive.

"Sorry for the wait, we had to drop off Anastasia's bags off at the dorm."

Natasha gave a tired wave. "Very nice not having roommate any longer."

Matthew gave a grin. "Don't you miss the roomie bonding stuff?"

She gave him a hard look that he felt.

"Alrighty, let's go grab food."

.

 **[Tony: everything is taken care of.]**

 **[Natasha: that quickly?]**

 **[Tony: I'm a genius. Plus, the pictures help your case. Even more of the plus side, the pictures will not help your Uncle.]**

 **[Natasha: what do we do next?]**

 **[Tony: you sign the forms, I'll get my father to get the right people involved. Then, your uncle will regret every last thing he ever did to you.]**

 **[Natasha: good.]**

 **.**

 **[Clint: so, we gonna touch on the fact that Tony is being secretive and Tasha is being even less verbal.]**

 **[Bruce: it is concerning.]**

 **[Steve: very.]**

 **[Tony: how are those allergies going, Brucie?]**

 **[Bruce: for the millionth time, allergies do not just go away.]**

 **[Tony: shame.]**

 **[Steve: so what exactly have you been up to?]**

 **[Natasha: you will wait and see.]**

 **[Bruce: are you hacking the government again?]**

 **[star_lord: when is he not hacking the government?]**

…

And that ends the first chapter. This one is thirty two pages long, so updates may be slow. Hope you all enjoyed the beginning to this love note to University. My goal is to add in as many characters as possible from the Marvel universe.

Couples: Darcy/Tony, Karen/Foggy, Steve/Peggy, eventual Bruce/Natasha, Clint/ Linda, Jane/Thor, Gamora/Peter, Gwen/Peter.

Oh yes. I will bash the bleeding hell out of Bobbie.


	2. ain't no rest for the wicked

.

.

snap shots and lost super hero capes

.

.

They're just a little screwed up but somehow came together the way all screwed up people do. Like puzzle pieces, jagged edges forged from angry childhoods and uncertain futures and fitting side by side with the pressure of a chaotic present. University AU

.

.

I'm essentially writing four chapters that are at least thirty pages long each. Each chapter is to cover a quarter of the school year. Essentially I'm picking at little moments and conversations that make up such a large part of the university experience. They're all a little broken and they all mean so much in the end. All these characters are strong individuals who I'm playing with.

I'm finishing up with the Natasha arc and I've thrown a hell of a lot more characters due to watching Age of Ultron and how could I not? Next chapter will be slightly more Spider Man themed. But, lots of Avengers.

.

(yes, I will eventually finish my incomplete stories that have not been touched in months. Blah blah blah,)

.

 _I will not say not to cry, because not all tears are bad._

.

Wanda sat alone in the courtyard fiddling with the sleeves of her red leather jacket. She had a small stack of books perched next to her with one hand resting protectively overtop of the stack. Pietro was jogging towards her, his bright blue tee-shirt notable against the dark jackets of other students. She scowled at his bare arms. "You will get sick," she informed him sharply before digging into her schoolbag for a water bottle. He took it from her. "When will you start dressing properly?"

He rolled his eyes. "When I see frost on the ground."

She pointed in exasperation at the ground, a light coating of white blanketing the grass. "Already it snows, you imbecile," she said in a harsh tone as she rolled her eyes. "You yell at top of your lungs when you think I risk getting a cold, but here you are running amuck."

Pietro carefully took a book from her pile and flipped through the pages. "This looks boring," he informed her. "No pictures! How do you sit there and read these?"

"There are pictures!" She snapped as she yanked the book closer to her. Wanda gave him a stormy glare before breaking into a smile. "See?" She jabbed at the black and white image of a crowd surging through a street. "I need to read this for Friday, you know."

He rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. You're the fancy English Major with the large reading list."

"How was your run, you fool?"

"I run faster than that Rogers," he smirked. "It was very enjoyable."

She took out a small container of cookies from the grey bag. "Eat. Or we'll have to listen to your stomach all day."

He divided the six cookies evenly but she only took one. "You should be eating more." He told her sternly.

"You are twelve minutes older, you think you can go about bossing me around?"

"Oh, like you don't boss me!"

.

Jarvis Vision placed his bag down on the floor of the dorm room. "Hello," he greeted the blonde occupant in the room. "I am your new roommate."

The resident of the room jumped up from his desk chair. "Greetings, I am Thor." He extended his hand to be shaken.

"Jarvis Vision," he smiled as he accepted the hand. "I'm a late arrival, it would seem. My old school delayed my transfer here."

"I am delighted to share this room with you," Thor told him warmly. "Are you also in the major of business?"

He placed the large bag on the spare bed. "I am not, I'm afraid. I've chosen English as my career pursuit." Slowly he began pulling items out of his luggage bag. Folded sheets were placed down on the bed while he began stowing away clothing in the dresser. "The rest of my things shall be arriving soon enough, I suppose."

"Would you care to join my friends and I for dinner? We usually arrange to eat with one another at six."

"I would very much enjoy joining you."

.

"Guess who I saw?" Isabelle Hartley smirked as she stole an apple from Hunter's bag. He gave her a disgruntled look before allowing her to claim the piece of fruit, slicing it neatly with the knife she kept in her purse. "The bloody she-devil herself."

Hunter winced. "I can't even imagine you two being friends."

"I was young and impressionable," she said blandly before biting the piece of apple savagely. "I can't even imagine you hooking up with her."

"Low blow."

"You started it, princess."

He sighed before handing her his notes from the criminology lecture. "Gamora sends her regards. How'd the doctors go?"

"Uncomfortable. The way doctors usually are. Something about having your breasts prodded at again and again usually does it." Isabelle smirked at his grimace. "I'm sorry. I forget how sensitive you can be when it comes to unmentionables."

"Only when I'm not the one doing the touching." He was cut off from saying anything else when he phone buzzed in his pocket.

 **[bobbie: I was wondering if you'd want to go to coffee?]**

"Ten bucks says the text is from the damn she devil herself."

"You know you're right," Hunter sighed. "How many ways can you say no to a coffee request?"

"I believe _fuck no_ usually sums such things up."

He grinned at her. "I like your style, kid."

 **[Hunter: fuck no.]**

.

Natasha arrived at Tony's apartment, knocking loudly. It was early enough in the morning that the mechanical engineer was most likely either sleeping, hung over or drunk. While she waited a few minutes before she would knock again she began sorting through her black purse. After a quick inventory to ensure that she had a tube of lipstick, keys, bus pass, papers and a granola bar the door swung open.

"Natasha?" Bruce blinked in surprise. "I thought you were Darcy. What happened to your face?" he exclaimed as he took in the angry bruise.

She winced. Natasha hadn't bothered to put concealer on before leaving her mercifully emptied room. She hadn't figured out where Bobbi was staying but she was grateful that the harpy had vanished. "I walk into door," she shrugged. "Is Tony awake?"

He stepped aside to allow her passage into the large apartment. "I think he was making coffee."

Natasha made a face. "You all drink arsenic," she informed him. "Tea is much better."

"I agree."

"You still drink that gasoline."

Tony greeted her as she entered the room. "I'd offer you a cup, but from overhearing that conversation, maybe not."

"Maybe not," Natasha agreed. "I have forms signed for you." She took them out of her black purse and handed them to him. "I believe every line has been signed."

He nodded as he quickly flipped through them all. "Excellent. My father can handle with the rest. Hopefully we can breeze through court during the break. And by hopefully, I mean we will. My father is a useless father, but willing to pay for the things that will make me happy."

"This will make you happy?"

"Knowing that my friends are all safe does tend to make me happy."

Bruce blinked at them. "Am I missing something?"

"Yes," they both said.

.

Skye grimaced at the screen, words swimming before her.

"You look tired," May informed her sharply. "Maybe now you'll listen to me and get some damn rest?"

"I have to finish this report first," she said, frowning as she began to type out a line of code rather than proper text. "Damnit."

"Yep, you're going to bed." May snatched away the laptop and placed in a shelf higher than the computer science student could reach. "Go."

Skye rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom."

.

Tony sat down on a bench outside physics lab where Darcy was doing homework with Jane. He gave a grimace as Bobbie sat down next to him. "What could you possibly want?" He demanded as he slid away from the journalism student. "Aren't there other benches you could infect? Other souls you could steal?"

"Hey!" She snapped. "I just wanted to talk."

"And I'd love to have a heart attack right now. Instead I get the misfortune to tolerate a walking, talking heart attack."

She scowled at him. "Did you know she was part of the mafia?"

"Who, pray tell, is working for the mafia?"

"Natasha. I thought she was alright, other than being a complete bitch."

Tony grinned. "You did steal her best friend."

"Not like they were dating. Anyways, he went running to her as soon as I was done with him." Bobbie informed him sullenly. "Just, she's so weird. Quiet."

"You're a rabid bitch. What is your point?"

"Why do you all like her so much? Why won't any of you like me?"

Tony thought about all the times in the past year that Natasha had been there. Mostly silently, but she had always been there. When Steve was struggling with asking Peggy out, she gave him confidence. When older students began harassing Bruce, she had beaten them into submission. Natasha let Thor struggle with the language barrier because if anyone of them knew how difficult it was, it was her. When Clint lost sleep due to nightmares of his family she was there with coffee the next day. Whenever he had been arrested for tomfoolery when drunk, she had stolen his car and picked him up from the police station without a single word of rebuke.

"She isn't half bad." He grinned at her with his teeth. "Now, if you don't mind, my girlfriend is coming. She has a Taser. She will tase you."

.

"You little rodent!" Peter shouted from his bedroom as he riffled through his belongings. "Did you steal my Walkman?"

"You're the only person in this century fixated on ancient tech, Quill," Rocket informed him from where he leaned against the doorframe. "You want it, come down to the kitchen. We're all waiting for you anyways. So hurry up."

 **[Gamora: hurry. I'm hungry.]**

Peter groaned, "I don't have time for this, Rocket. I need to study. I want my music. Unlike some of us, we can't all afford fancy technology." He didn't bother to say it had been his mother's and forced himself not to think about how delicate it had become lately. Music often crackled as it played, sputtering more often than not.

He was greeted by the sight of a lopsided cake and a wrapped package, his Walkman seated in front of the two. "What is this?" He frowned as he took in his roommates.

"It's your birthday, you moron. Now blow out the candles before we're eating wax," Rocket informed him as he threw himself down in a chair next to Groot with crossed arms.

"I forgot," Peter said as he stepped closer to the cake. The icing was bright green and covered in decorated flowers, which he presumed was Groot's doing. Drax looked jovial sitting there. "Thanks, guys."

 _Please don't let anyone die_ he wished as he blew out the candles, pushing the image of his mother lying in a hospital bed with a cupcake held in her hands.

He then tore open the wrapping paper and discovered a new IPod. "What is this?" he asked very quietly as he held it in his hands. Gamora gave him a small smile.

"You're Walkman has seen better days, and with this, it might last longer. We all chipped in."

"I'm still working on a pair of new headphones for you," Rocket cut in. "Soundproof. Good for when you're working on your music."

"What do you think, Starlord?" Gamora said as she handed him a knife.

"I think we need some cake."

.

"I think I've found the most beautiful girl," Jarvis informed Thor as he flopped down on his bed. "She's brilliant."

"Who might this fair maiden be?" He grinned as he looked up from his laptop. He minimized the screen that contained his economics homework to give his roommate his full attention. "Is she also majoring in English?"

He sighed, "Yes. I finally got her name today."

"Have you asked her out?" Thor asked. "Would any of us know her?"

"I couldn't, Thor. There was a boy waiting for her after class."

"Tell me this girl's name. Perhaps this was just a friend of hers."

"Wanda Maximoff," he smiled. "She loves reading Dickens."

Thor grimaced as he tried to understand his friend's wording. "Who might this Dickens be? Shall we dispose of him?"

"Charles Dickens, friend. He's a very old author."

He flipped onto facebook, ignoring the mass group message between his friends. Clint and Tony were arguing over some game or another, Tony insisting that he'd been shot in the back by Clint. Steve was lecturing the two. Typing Wanda's name into the search bar he flipped the laptop around so Jarvis could see. "Which one is her?"

Jarvis got up from his bed, leaning over the screen. "That one!"

A girl gazed out from the display picture with dark eyes. She was indeed pretty in a sort of cold and closed off way. "Her information says she is not involved with anyone. And she's from Sokovia." Thor began properly looking at very few statuses, mostly conversations between another person under the name of Pietro Maximoff. "Could this perhaps be the boy you saw? It appears she has a brother."

"I'm asking her out," Jarvis informed him.

.

"So, you've been running around with Stark," Clint said cautiously. "Anything you wanna talk about?"

She gave him a dark look. "You've be running around with Laura. Anything you wanna talk about?"

He sighed as he set him law textbook down on the desk. "I like her very much. Your turn." "

"Tony help me with something, something very private. Until Christmas no one can know. This is very sensitive," Natasha explained very carefully. "This deals with my Uncle and all parts of the Red Room. I tell you only because I trust you."

"You're finally bringing him down? What happened over the break?"

"He hurt me in terrible way," she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "I finally break, and then I see Tony at airport. Words slip out before I stop them, and suddenly we are doing documents."

Clint held her tightly in her his arms. "Whatever he does, it is over. It'll be okay."

Natasha doesn't respond but there's something in her expression that makes him think that it'll never be over.

.

It was early in the morning and Jane was in class. Darcy was burrowed deep within covers when she heard the unlocked door swing open. Her eyes flew open and she sprung out with the Taser kept beneath her pillow.

Thor shouted.

.

 **[Jane: WHAT DID YOU DO?]**

 **[Darcy: I feel by the capitalization you've utilized that you already know and are being dramatic.]**

 **[Jane: HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?]**

 **[Darcy: I was protecting myself!]**

 **[Jane: First, I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to kill that moronic numbskull of a boyfriend of yours.]**

 **[Tony: I resent that! I wasn't the one who took down Thor.]**

 **[Darcy: How was I suppose to know that it was Thor?!]**

 **[Jane: You're both dead.]**

.

Peggy sat down next to Isabelle. The lounge was thankfully emptied of people, leaving just the two and a handful of people spread out across the large room. She sank down into the couch and sighed. "How are you doing?"

Isabelle barely spared her a glance. "With the law paper?" she snorted. "I gave up a long time ago."

"I've been wrestling with the bloody thing all night. What professor does all the research for you, and ensures every bleeding paper contradicts one another?"

Isabelle groaned. "I got through the first three articles, and then realized all the information either restated itself or just denounced one another."

Hunter entered the room, spotting the two easily. Gamora was following him sullenly with a laptop tucked beneath her arm. "Please tell me you two have made sense of the research paper?" He begged as he threw himself down on the floor in exasperation. "We've been at the library writing the paper before we realized we couldn't do any of the research ourselves."

That explained look on Gamora's face, Peggy thought as she shook her head. "This is a ridiculous paper."

"Can we go get Starbucks and try again?" Isabelle requested as she took out her wallet. "No sense punishing ourselves with this torture without proper caffeine."

"True," Hunter agreed.

"How about we go to the diner off campus and work? My friend'll bring us free refills and give us the wifi password." Peggy said.

"Food and wifi, why not?" Gamora gave a thin smile.

.

"Fuck it, May must have done this paper already," Gamora announced as she pulled out her cellphone.

 **[Gamora: hey, need your help. What paper did you have for second year criminal law?]**

 **[May: that the one where you want to cry and scream?]**

 **[Gamora: yes.]**

 **[May: I did my own research and handed in the paper. Lost marks but I passed.]**

 **.**

Steve handed Laura a jar of black paint. "You know, they say a true artist doesn't need black paint. Apparently the artist can blend colours to make the perfect shade."

"Obviously who ever said that didn't have a deadline the next day," she smiled. "Thanks."

"What are you working on?" He asked as he picked up his paint brush and swirled it around in the container in ink.

"A farm. My grandfather's farm, actually." Laura passed him the small photograph of a large white farmhouse surrounded by fields. A large structure sat in the distance and Steve assumed it was a barn. "I spent a lot of my time there when I was younger."

Together they bent over their respective work, handing over jars of paint when requested.

.

"So what is up with the Ross girl?"

Bruce grimaced. "She told me to man up and stop being so quiet. And to stop letting her father terrify me."

Tony gave him a look in response. "She's an idiot. I thought you said she was smart. Obviously she isn't."

"Maybe she's right, though. I never stick up for myself."

"Nah, you see-and you better listen. I hate this sort of conversation. Way too many goddamn feels." Tony said as he pulled out a tablet and began analyzing the screen far too intently. "You're you, man. You're brilliant and yeah, you really should take ownership for that. But that doesn't matter because you're awesome. You might not feel the need to throw yourself out there, but that's cool. No one who matters says you should."

"Tony-"

"Shut up. I got a six pack and video games with our names written all over it."

.

Wanda pulled out a book from her bag and settled down on the cold stone steps outside the English department. The air was chilled enough to make her wish she had worn a jacket rather than a shawl but she just tightened it around her before flipping open to her bookmark. She had taken a break in her readings and chosen Fitzgerald as a break before tackling her essays.

She had barely started the chapter already in progress when someone sat down next to her. Wanda looked up at the figure with bright eyes seated fairly close to her. "What is it you want?" She asked him cautiously.

He smiled. "My name is Jarvis Vision. You are in my classes."

She blinked in surprise, cocking her head. "I'm sorry?"

"May I ask you for your name?"

"Wanda Maximoff."

"It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," he told her warmly. "May I offer you a cup of tea or coffee? Unless you have somewhere to be, of course."

She looked down at her book for exactly twelve seconds as she tried to sort through her thoughts before closing it and sliding it inside her book bag. "It is very cold out. Perhaps somewhere warmer would be better."

He offers her his arm.

.

 **[Vision: she said yes to me!]**

 **[Thor: that is great tidings, my friend! I am very pleased for you.]**

.

Pietro looked up in surprise as Tony passed him an envelope. He was wearing a strange pair of sunglasses that glittered along with a baseball bat with the name _Lewis_ across the top. He didn't quite understand why he was being given something from a stranger but accepted it awkwardly. "What is this?"

"Invite. Throwing the annual time-to-get-drunk bash. You should come. Apparently Thor's roommate asked your twin out, and siblings stick together, right?" He informed him sharply. "Speaking of which, is Wanda interested in Vision?"

"Why should I tell you anything?" Pietro asked with suspension, stowing the envelope away in his sports bag without much thought.

"Quite right," Tony grinned. "Just be there. Time and place are on the invite, and it'll be great. Booze will be there. Just try to refrain from vomiting on the carpet." He skipped away cheerily.

 **[Pietro: what do you know of this party?]**

 **[Wanda: friend of Jarvis's, is what he says.]**

 **[Pietro: you are with this Jarvis Vision often, you know.]**

 **[Wanda: What is your point?]**

 **[Pietro: he hurt you, and I'll bash his skull in.]**

 **[Wanda: only if I do not get there first, brother.]**

 **[Wanda: and no, you may not have brother chat with him.]**

 **[Pietro: I was the one born 12 minutes before, yet you boss me.]**

 **.**

 **[Tony: going to be a goddamn party.]**

 **[Steve: language.]**

 **[Tony: did you actually just 'language' me? How old are you?]**

 **[Steve: it slipped out!]**

 **[Clint: you typed it out. This is not a Freudian slip.]**

 **[Steve: I'd punch you if I could.]**

 **[Tony: ohhhhhhh]**

 **[Clint: No. Need.]**

 **[Clint: goddamnit tash]**

 **[Natasha: you are welcome.]**

 **[Steve: did you punch him?]**

 **[Clint: and probably left a bruise. On my ribs. Nice one.]**

 **[Clint: for the rest of you not currently in the room, she just shrugged and flipped me off.]**

 **[star_lord: I think you're all highly insane.]**

 **[Bruce: says the one who threw water balloons filled with green ink at Gamora and I.]**

 **[star_lord: I still stand by my statement that I did not know she was with you. I thought she was natasha.]**

 **[Natasha: hold still worm.]**

 **[star_lord: SHE CALLED ME WORM.]**

 **[Steve: I'll try and gather sympathy for you.]**

 **[Bruce: I can feel the sarcasm through the screen.]**

 **[Thor: do not any of you have class?]**

 **[Tony: skipping. Was there any doubt?]**

 **.**

Bruce looked over at the two standing just inside the doorway. The one girl wore a dark black dress and red shawl that looked slightly worn while the boy was wearing what looked to be a mesh shirt with jeans and sneakers. "You're friends of Thor, right?" he greeted them as they stepped a little closer into the slew of people. "We're all in one of the backrooms away from the noise, if you want to join us."

"Is Jarvis there?"

"He just got here five minutes before you."

They followed him through the noise and surge of people. Everywhere was noise and alcohol lying about. Bruce winced at the high cost the evening was costing. "So you're Wanda and Peter, right?"

"Pietro," the boy informed him near sullenly.

Bruce led them into the large room secluded from the party. The rest of the group were gathered on couches arranged as a square with a large table pushed between them, filled with beverages and snacks. Jarvis stood from his seat the moment he saw Wanda and offered her the seat next to him. Pietro resigned himself to settle next to Clint who had been leaning back into the couch with his arm around Laura.

"So, Christmas is coming up." Tony announced suddenly, breaking up the small conversations. "Anyone have any plans?"

Steve placed his beer down on the table before answering. "I'm going back to England with Peggy to spend it. I was thinking we could do secret Santa this year, though. Before we all head out."

"Our circle has gotten bigger this year," Bruce noted. He accepted the drink that Natasha had mixed for him. "I'm staying here. How about you?"

"I stay as well." Natasha replied before taking a large drink of the bottle of vodka. "Clint, you go back to not-family, right?"

"Unfortunately."

Foggy and Matthew arrived into the mostly empty room, shutting the door behind them loudly. "Hey, Stark," Foggy called out. "Did you know there's a party going on there? Or a rave? Or a bunch of people getting ready to sacrifice a really ugly vase that probably costs a lot?"

"The price for being a terrible host," he sighed. "Oh well. As you said, it was ugly and should have been sacrificed five parties ago."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I think it is beautiful," Matthew cut in as he allowed Foggy to guide him closer to the couch. The group bunched together to make more room, their numbers nearly overwhelming the space.

"Really? If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's the most ugly son-of-a-bitch I ever saw." Tony said as he scratched his head. "Is it the one by the piano no one uses?"

"Tony?" Steve questioned with a smirk. It took the self-proclaimed genius a few moments before he started swearing at the blind man. "What are you two planning for Christmas?" He asked the twins.

They both shrugged before Pietro spoke. "Home doesn't exist anymore. We are here on orphan scholarship."

"He on track scholarship as well." Wanda cut in.

"She is on scholarship for marks," Pietro added as he gave her a mock glare.

"So you're fast and she's weird." Tony nodded. "Excellent. Anyways, I have spare rooms here. If you guys get sick of wherever you're living during the holidays."

.

"I am very glad that you decided to come," Jarvis told her as he walked her back to her dorm room, Pietro having already departed to his own. "I'm sorry about your parents. Mine are also gone from my life."

"What happened to them?"

A look of distaste and despair flickered across his face. "My father killed my mother when I was young. He was very sick, but part of him died when he killed her."

She squeezed his hand lightly. "I am very sorry to hear that."

"Bad things happen to many people." Jarvis said as he looked over the campus, the buildings still bright from the lights within. "But many good things happen as well."

"Yes," she challenged him, "name a good thing."

He looked at her for exactly three seconds before kissing her.

.

 **[Peter: I think Matt and Foggy have grown attached to one another.]**

 **[Tony: the ultimate bromance. Why?]**

 **[Peter: I have gotten twelve texts in the past twelve minutes informing me that they were bros forever and I'd be dealing with an extra roommate.]**

 **[Steve: nice to know they get along. And are probably still drunk from last night.]**

 **[Tony: Brucie and I got along just swell.]**

 **[Bruce: You drove me from the room with the strays you collected.]**

 **[Tony: your allergies are a damn fickle thing, man.]**

 **[Bruce: &#^$*#&#]**

 **[Tony: that is the sweet noise of a man losing it.]**

 **[Foggy: why would anyone let us drink that much? Who lets a blind guy get drunk, anyways?]**

 **[Natasha: Matt would like to say he is Irish and therefore much more capable of handling drinking.]**

 **[Natasha: I would like to remind you all I am Russian, therefore superior.]**

 **[Tony: I'm a Stark. I was made to be a drunken disgrace.]**

 **[Bruce: how is it that mr. innocent can out drink any of us though?]**

 **[Tony: seriously?]**

 **[Steve: I'm a success in the world of experimental test drugs.]**

 **[Clint: you may never get drunk, but gosh darn, you can finally breathe like a normal person!]**

 **[Bobbie: hello?]**

 **[All Members Have Left This Conversation.]**

.

Natasha knocked on the door, dripping from the pouring rain outside. All snow had disappeared due to the terrible rainstorm that she had gotten caught in, snow and ice turning into a messy slush that made her toes numb. Bruce opened the door suddenly, catching sight of the shivering red head with her hand raised, ready to knock again. "You-you are here more-than your home," she shivered at him, wrapping her arms around her.

She looked like a wet cat. He stifled any grin to himself before hustling her into the apartment. "I don't even want to know what you were doing out there."

"Santa shopping." Natasha shrugged as he turned on the heat and pointed towards the bathroom.

"I'll leave clothes out for you."

And he does. She showers for ten minutes in hot water and snatches the clothing up eagerly through the barely opened door. Natasha finds him making tea as she walks into the kitchen dressed in slightly oversized purple sweats and a green sweater. "Thank you," she told him as she took the mug in her hand. "I thought I'd beat the storm."

"You were doing your secret Santa shopping?" Bruce asked as he poured his own cup of tea. Tony had long since given up protesting Bruce's stash of tea being left in his apartment. He had firmly believed that tea was simply herb water for the weak and the stronger the coffee was, the better. Natasha claimed that what he drank was more like rocket fuel.

"Yes."

"Who did you get?"

"Matthew. I buy him audiobooks of novels. He always saying he never has time to buy them himself, I get them for him. You?"

"You remember the art gala?"

"Of course."

"Steve had done a bunch of images of us as super heroes. He had this really cool shield in his portrait that I got commissioned for him. He isn't my secret Santa, but I couldn't resist."

"I never thought much of heroes when child." Natasha said thoughtfully as she took a sip of the green tea. She smiled at the hint of honey. "Did you?"

Bruce shrugged. "Heroes weren't too much part of my life. With my dad the way he was, I was a little too preoccupied by avoiding him. I liked books though. Used to spend hours at the library. A friend of mine used to obsess over them. Lived and breathed comics."

"Do you ever see yourself as a hero?" She asked before hopping up to sit on top of the counter. "Wearing a cape and running about?"

"Not really."

"To bad. Because I see someone who hides from a fight he know he will win." Natasha shrugged at him. "You are stronger than most, Banner."

Her words surprised him. It was very rare that she was ever sentimental and warm. More often than not she was the silent bystander more likely to bash someone's head in than converse properly. Clint and her were alike in their inability to appropriately socialize. "I see someone who tried to make things even. Your future is an entire battle."

She lifted her cup of tea to him. "Perhaps you and I have much in common."

They clinked their cups together and imagined a world of heroes and villains.

.

"LET IT GO!" Tony bellowed in the courtyard as snowflakes fell all around. The campus was rather festive mid-December despite the torment of finals. Most pine trees that grew were decorated in special seed ornaments that had begun to crumble due to the birds feasting upon them. Some building entrances were brightened by the presence of wreathes and ribbons while colourful posters filled the hallways. "LET IT GO!"

Steve winced. "I thought you liked ACDC. Not this."

"But Stevie! The cold never bothered me anyways!"

"I'm going to drown you in snow and make you regret ever forcing us to watch that movie." He threatened the engineer as he herded them into Manhattan's for a cup of hot chocolate before his lecture in renaissance art history. "I need your help on what to buy Bruce for Christmas. Last year everyone got him science stuff, but that felt kind of lousy."

Tony shrugged. "Everyone got you art supplies but you were over the moon about it."

"Yeah, but I want to do something different."

"How do you not know what your roommate would want? You sleep five feet apart, for Christ's sake."

Steve rolled his eyes and he stepped closer to the cash, eyes glued to the back of the person's head that stood in front of them. The line felt like it was barely inching along. "I feel like he's sleeping more at your place. Did I do something wrong?"

Tony gave a bark of laughter. "More like something to do with the redhead who keeps showing up at my place."

"You think?"

"Please. I know. All those late night conversations over tea, like they could fool me."

"I thought she liked Barton?" Steve said as he dug out his wallet. "I thought we were all convinced that they liked each other."

"They did, probably. They spent a lot of time and shit together last year, and she trusts him a lot and he's anti-social as hell. Then this year everything blew up where he messed around and she felt hurt about that. They're over it, but they're not likely going to hook up." Tony shrugged. "Or at least, that would be Darcy's analyse of it all."

"I'm glad Bobbie's gone at least," he admitted. "She was a bleeding harpy."

"Can't believe I ever did it with her."

.

Wanda knocked anxiously on the door. She knew Jarvis would be in class, a class she was currently skipping. Thor however had two hours before his business class, which meant she had the advantage of getting his insight without allowing anyone else to know what exactly she was doing.

Thor welcomed her into the room in his friendly manner, offering her a drink from the well-stocked mini fridge. He seems to understand her mixed feelings of seeking him out and allows her to speak her piece, swearing him to utter silence.

"I need good gift for Steve. I want to give him something he cares much about, but do not want anyone to assume I care."

He nodded thoughtfully. "You remind me of my brother, Loki. You keep your distance from people."

Wanda frowned. "People are how you get hurt."

"May I ask of your parents? Your twin mentioned that your tuition funding was partially of an orphan scholarship." Thor asked cautiously. "You do not need to answer, I am only curious."

She shrugged and tightened the red shawl around her. Casting a glance around the tidy dorm room she took in Jarvis's side of the bedroom. Books were piled everywhere despite the nicely made bed and carefully hung clothing. Wanda hid a smile at seeing the collection of Charles Dickens next to his bed. "My parents, they drive us late at night. It rain hard, and my brother and I were young. Ten years, I believe. A car hit us and they died on impact."

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Thor told her as he lifted a hand to his heart. "That must have been terrible."

"It was. But do you know what the worse part was?" She asked him. "It was a Stark car that hit us. Pietro and I sit side by side in wreckage for two days waiting."

They sat in angry silence for a few moments, Wanda collecting her thoughts and regretting her sudden speech. Thor looked her in the eye and told her, "shoes. Steve needs shoes. He runs very much and he forgets that what he has falls to pieces."

"Shoes, you say?"

"Perhaps you could maybe help me arrange gift for Natasha? I must say that I am at odds of what to get her." Thor gave her a hopeless look and showed her his list of ideas that had been proven fruitless. "She already has many of these books, and she does not wear much jewelry."

Wanda gave him a hesitant smile. "I think I might know of idea."

.

"So how long have Bruce and Natasha been going on?" Laura asked Clint as she pulled her shirt off.

He blinked. "What? They're a thing? When have they been a thing?"

She snickered, "I'll tell you when you're older."

.

Hunter handed Isabelle the badly wrapped present. She took eagerly, the Santa hat seated lopsided on her head. "Before you go off doing crazy things with that sister of yours," he shrugged. "You owe me a night of even crazier drinks when you get back."

She unwrapped it to reveal a silver knife with her name engraved into the blade. "Thank you. But you know, I had difficulties on choosing your gift. At first I thought awkward boxers. Then I thought Bobbie's head on a stick. Then I realized exactly what I wanted to give you."

"What might that be?"

They left her bedroom hand in hand and feeling very smug.

.

 **[Gwen: here I thought we settled this issue.]**

 **[Mary Jane: who are you?]**

 **[Gwen: Peter Parker's girlfriend.]**

 **[Mary Jane: he's still dating you?]**

 **[Gwen: happily, I can assure. So stop messaging him. It creeps him out.]**

 **[Mary Jane: why should I stop?]**

 **[Gwen: I warned you.]**

 **.**

"They say you're the best," the redhead said tearfully. "I need you to fix this. Fix everything!"

"Who are you and what am I the best at-oh wait. Trick question. I'm the best at everything." Tony informed her. "What happened to you?"

"Someone hacked me and deleted everything! The programs don't even exist! Internet explorer is even no longer on my computer and then how am I supposed to download a decent search engine if I can't even-"

"Whoa." Tony said as he lifted his hands up. "First of all, I really don't care. Secondly, why would I fix what I did?"

Mary Jane gazed at him in horror. "What did I do to you?"

"You were bothering Parker, and by default, his lovely girlfriend. Plus, you seemed like a bitch."

.

"He made me a motor cycle," Thor told Steve on the phone in a voice filled with wonder. "From scratch."

"He made his car from scratch as well, you know." Steve replied, voice slightly scratchy as he was currently in England. "I'm not surprised. He said he wanted to get something grand for the God of thunder, and I guess this is what he meant."

"I still cannot believe it-I thought there was a price limit!"

Thor heard laughter. "You think Stark cares about money? He's probably justifying it as that he already had all the pieces lying around to begin with anyways, and you're doing him a favour."

There was a slight pause before he heard a response, "how did you know that is what he said?"

"It's Stark."

.

Wanda handed Steve the neatly wrapped red package before darting away, ignoring his amused call of thanks.

She missed the look of appreciation at the new pair of running shoes that Pietro had helped her pick out, bright blue, red and white. However, she didn't miss the thank you note taped to her door, sealed safely in an envelope. She added it to the wooden box of prized items she kept stored away-her mother's bracelets and a bottle of her father's aftershave, the shoelaces of her brother's old shoes that fell to pieces years ago. Acceptance letters to different Universities even found a home at the bottom of the stash.

She would rather the world think she didn't care at all, because all that mattered was simply that she did care.

Her gift to Jarvis was slightly warmer. She waited for him to carefully unwrap the vibrant wrapping paper, a colour she had picked to match her mother's shawl that she wore frequently. Within the paper and delicate layer of wrapping paper was a first edition of Tender is the Night.

"I read that book the day you sit next to me. It was cold but you took me for tea." She shrugged defensively. "I look when in your room when you not there and find no copy of this book, but think that perhaps you might enjoy it."

"I will treasure it for always," he told her as he held it tight to his chest. "I also had something for you."

He handed her the large box. It wasn't wrapped but she traced over the carvings of dragonflies over the dark wooden surface. She opened it carefully to reveal folded it up pieces of paper. "What are these?"

"They're for you. One for every day of the year. You showed me your box of precious things, and I hoped that one day it would be too small to contain everything. So this is for the day you find so many beautiful things that they might need a new home."

She smiled at him and took his hand. "Already I think I run out of room."

"I'm glad."

.

 **[Tony: BRUCE I LOVE YOU ARE THE BEST.]**

 **[Bruce: Darcy might be jealous.]**

 **[Steve: Darcy might be really jealous. You confessing you're undying love.]**

 **[Tony: Bruce gave me the final string of coding to complete my AI project.]**

 **[Steve: I know. He was working on it for the past month.]**

 **[Tony: Bruce is my favorite.]**

 **[Bruce: as I should be.]**

 **.**

"So are you going home at all?" Gamora asked as she washed off the dramatic make up. They'd finally completed their winter performance of Wicked. Her skin was tinged green still from the recital. "Or will you stay here?"

Natasha shrugged. "Tony say I stay with him and Bruce, along with others. It'll be fun, is what he claims."

"I suspect another twelve hour drinking fest in which he tries to outdrink you again."

" _Russian_ ," she smirked. "Drinking is in my blood."

"Thor said he got something pretty good for you, for the secret Santa gift exchange. Has he given it to you yet?" She asked, accepting the damp towel that Natasha offered her.

She grinned. "Yes, a set of theatre tickets for plays and such. He says bring Bruce."

"Are you and Bruce going out yet?"

Natasha looked into her own reflection, slowly rubbing at the costume makeup that covered the scars on her arms. "No. He and I talk very much, and it is nice. He does not expect things from me and I do not have to get hurt."

"How is it that Maximoff was more willing to start something with Vision when you're terrified of telling the most gentle soul alive how you feel?"

She scoffed. "I am not terrified. Anyways, back to presents. What did Pietro get for you?"

"Much female things. It was cute, actually. I have plenty of soaps and slippers and candles."

"Hear what Matt get Clint for present? Tickets to circus."

.

"Last final," Bruce smiled at Natasha, "how do you feel?"

She scoffed. "History of insanity. I live amongst you people, I know history just well."

"Please tell me you aren't possibly grouping me in the statement. I'm the quiet one."

"No, you are mad scientist. You allow Tony to do terrible things in that lab. You help him!" She teased as she slid down the wall to sit next to him. The hallway was frigid as they sat there, he with an open textbook on his lap and her with flashcards filled with Russian words. "You know, there is a point in all this when you are unable to study much more. That is when you crack."

His lips twitched. "Reassuring, aren't you?"

"I try very hard not to be."

.

 **[Tony: soon as your done your final, get to the parking lot. We're heading straight to court.]**

 **[Natasha: already finished.]**

 **[Tony: it's been like half an hour.]**

 **[Natasha: and I am done.]**

 **[Tony: fair enough. Just hurry. Traffic is going to be a mother fucking bitch.]**

 **[Natasha: language, as steve says.]**

 **.**

"How the hell did you not get stuck with any finals?" Clint demanded the moment Steve's voiced met him over the phone. "That wasn't cool. Here we all are, nose to the damn grind stone and you're off gallivanting across Europe."

"Called picking project based courses. Hello, by the way. Greetings are still socially acceptable in this day in age. Strange, I know." He replied. "How've yours been going?"

"Blah, blah, blah, law, defending the people, blah, blah, blah. Why am I studying this again?"

"I believe you said you wanted to both learn how to get away with murder and how to sue people."

"I'm suddenly remembering full force."

"I'm so happy for you," he replied dryly. "How are the others doing?"

"Well, Natasha went to court, Tony broke the government internationally, Thor went home for family business but it turns out he inherited a massive seat in the airline business, Darcy has accidently used her Taser several times on mostly innocent people-the one tried kicking a duck- and Matthew keeps poking people with his cane on purpose which really isn't cool and Gamora is being all terrifying-" Clint listed before he was cut off.

"Seriously. What's been going on since I left?"

There was a brief pause and Steve could feel the smirk on the other end of the line. "I just told you. Everything."

He rubbed his forehead. "Why do I befriend idiots?" he muttered to himself before asking the simplest. "Why is Darcy tasing people?"

"Well, the one guy was trying to kick this duck. Why there was a duck at winter I have no idea, but it now lives in a shoebox in Darcy's closet-she tried keeping it a secret from Jane but it lasted for like a minute."

"Next. Why is Matthew beating people into submission?"

"I really don't know. I think that's why Tony likes him so much, you know. Senseless violence. Parker's back, by the way. Foggy's been kicked to the couch until they find a bigger place."

"Thor?"

"His dad decided why hoard everything now, and instead he's given huge portion to Thor and his bro. speaking of which, do you think they renamed Loki or was it extreme luck that they found a kid with the same Norse god vibe?"

"Tony? Did he finally hack the U.S to death?"

"Not exactly. He was, but only to get more information on the court case. Natasha took her Uncle to court." The jovial mood of Clint melted away into a tense tone that left Steve wishing he was back on campus to at least be there. "The Red Room was a lot more than what she let me believe, you know. I never knew any of this. If I had, I never would have let her just go on the way she was. Everything makes sense-the depression, the eating disorder-hell. You remember start of the year when she tore into the guy who touched her?"

"What was the Red Room?" Steve demanded as he couldn't help remember.

"It was a prostitution ring. They took girls from orphanages and forced them into service. Last break, Tasha got hurt pretty bad."

"What happened?" Steve whispered as he flicked through the news channels and there it was-reporters analyzing the events in some nameless American court room. A girl with her back to the camera was seated beside a slightly taller figure with dark hair stuck up everywhere. The newswoman mentioned forced sterilization before drifting into other aspects of the case.

"It's bad, man."

.

Natasha squatted down alone by the river that still ran wild despite the ice and snow. The sky was burning red as the sun rose once again. The sight of the sun made her feel warm, like she was finally living and breathing.

Her bones aches and eyes felt sore, having hunched over so long in the courtroom as lawyers attempted to ruin her case.

Except she had won.

She had won with the medical reports and photographic evidence. She had won with Tony's work in gathering intelligence on Ivan, slowly crippling him into a babbling fool unable to grasp at the seams falling apart.

Natasha pulled the jar from her bag, containing exactly several pregnancy tests from over the years. Several times life had grown within for such a brief period of time before Ivan forced her to undergo an abortion.

She couldn't help but cry as she tossed the glass jar into the churning rapids. So much had been stolen from her, but she had her future. Tears froze to her skin but she stood from the cold ground and walked away the icy depths.

She was fighting still for her future, she supposed.

.

Sam Wilson ran the indoor track freely. His completion had been missing for the past few weeks which left him free to pass all other joggers at will.

Except for one.

A boy in a bright blue shirt darted by, almost as blur as he sprinted.

 _Damn it._

Within minutes he had returned, this time calling out: "on your left!"

"You're on my right side, you idiot!" he shouted at the boy.

.

 **[Bobbie: hey, you probably don't know but journalist students have a big assignment where we have to interview someone for our final project. Is there a chance I'd consider letting me interview you about the red room? You owe me.]**

 **[Natasha: owe you for what?]**

 **[Bobbie: I let you have Clinton.]**

 **[Natasha: you are hysterical. I do not date Barton. He date Laura. Who is fantastic, by the way. Much better than you.]**

 **[Bobbie: why are you and your people always insulting me? You're all fucking stupid.]**

 **[Natasha: you do not make friends easy. Instead you try to force your way in.]**

 **[Bobbie: so?]**

 **[Natsha: hitler try to force his way into Russia once.]**

 **.**

Wanda and Jarvis arrived hand in hand to Tony's apartment, each carrying a bag of must needs for the break. Rather than knocking they freely entered, only to find Pietro eating the entire contents of the kitchen. "Should have informed him better of your eating habits," Wanda teased him as she set her bag down by the counter. "Have a good run?"

"I make new friend." He shrugged.

"Did not know such thing was possible."

"Are you not the delight of us all?"

She grinned at him with her teeth before looking around the apartment. It had an excellent view of the city and to the distance sat the university, divided by a river but connected by a bridge. "One of us must be."

"New comers!" Tony announced as he entered the room, followed by Natasha and Gamora. "Isn't this lovely? The females that terrify me the most are all gathered beneath my roof to spend the week. God, that was shitty planning."

"I terrify you?" Wanda questioned mockingly as she leaned against the marble counter. Bruce arrived closely behind the girls, slipping around the group to retrieve the kettle from its hiding place.

He nodded. "Something about your 'I'd rather bite you' approach."

"Did I make you scared?" She questioned Jarvis suddenly.

"Only in the finest way possible," he assured her. "You are the delight of us all."

"Hey, speaking of delights, Foggy got a girl from communications. You know Karen Page?"

Gamora nodded. "I've met her a few times. She suffered through a project with Drax."

.

"I'm sorry, you know. About everything you went through." Bruce told her as they watched the fake fire displayed on the television. She had long since muted the cheery holiday music, informing him that it drove her mad as she tried to focus on the rhymes and holiday words that were unusual to regular English conversations. "I wish I had known so I could have done something."

Natasha didn't bother to look at him. "You know, you did. That night when it rained, I felt very upset. I was cold and lost, and feeling desperate. You say something kind though, that I am fighting for my future. For first time, I think I am not terrible."

"You aren't, you know. Terrible. I think you're one of the nicest out of us all."

Those words made her look at him but with only detached interest. "I've done many bad things. I cannot forget what I did then, and I want to make it better."

He brushed his hand against her own hand gently. "Whatever you did then is different. You were a girl in the Red Room then. Now you're independent. You study history so you can remember the dead. You collect old journals that are written by strangers so you can read about their lives. Really, you're everything good that I could ever possibly imagine."

Natasha squeezed his hand tightly. "That is very high praise, coming from you."

"Good. I mean it."

Anything else he might have said was silenced when she kissed him suddenly.

"I meant that," she whispered to him.

.

 **[Tony: called it.]**

 **[Steve: damn it.]**

 **[Tony: you owe me twenty.]**

 **.**


	3. what have i done?

.

.

snap shots and lost super hero capes

.

.

To the guest who left the review, thank you both reading the story and also reviewing. Despite your comment I'm going to write the story the way I intend to, which is by keeping relationships canon, other than Tony and Darcy because I really don't like writing Pepper's character. So no, I am not going to think about it in any other way than mine. Sorry if you choose to think the relationships are more valuable than the actual content, but yeah. Actually, not sorry. I've got plenty of Natasha stories posted in which she happens to be in relationships with other characters such as Clint or Steve. So if that satisfies you more, knock yourself out.

I've recently rewatched the Amazing Spiderman movies and have planned for Peter to have more of a role in this chapter, with the next chapter essentially a wrap up. This story probably could have very easily been more chapters, but given the size of the chapters themselves, I'm aiming for four chapters. The last chapter will also serve as a sequel of sorts, the ending taking a couple years after graduation and the friends all finding themselves living in New York. (spoiler alert people-Tony will have his tower.)

(also spoiler alert-Natasha and Bruce will stay together, and yes. I am being very petty.)

(does it sound like I give a damn?) (spoiler alert-I really do not.)

Yo, there will be sensitive material coming up. School shootings and what not. Yes, a lot of characters come out of nowhere. I'm sort of looking forward for ending this story, to be totally honest. I've enjoyed writing it, but I'm ready to move on after the next chapter.

(there will be an actual end in the next chapter.)

.

.

 _it hurts a lot to love someone, but it's worth it._

 _._

 _._

Peter Parker flipped through the pages of the newspaper, looking at the images from the science expo in New York City. "There's this really cool electrical generator they got going on. It's supposed to revolutionize power grids." He mused to Gwen who was burrowed deep in her medical textbook. "Stark is going to be upset that his plans are going to be outdated by this."

"Knowing him he'll just rewrite them to make this generator useless," she smirked before highlighting a string of words.

Matt entered the kitchen, fumbling around in the cabinets for his mug. "Who is useless now, Web Head?"

"No mean names before lunchtime, Horn Head," Peter retorted. "I've got coffee already made for you." Already Gwen had retreated back to her studying, scribbling out notes in her neat script.

"I can smell it. Where's Foggy?" He had retrieved a red mug that was ridiculously large. Slowly moving towards the coffee maker in his sleepy state, he filled the mug up expertly. Exactly an inch below the rim every time. Neither Foggy nor Peter had understood how exactly Matt always filled his glass up perfectly but they never really questioned it.

"He apparently wanted to get groceries before class or something."

Matt noticed the scent of perfume in the air. "Good morning, Gwen." He greeted her. He barely got a response in return, just a soft hum before the sound of a page flipped.

"Don't mind her; she'll socialize properly after she's done her tests."

"Remind me again why we aren't studying molecular medicine?" Matt teased as he slid into the spare chair. "How could we be so foolish not to be trapped in the damnation of social lives?"

Gwen looked up at him with a grin. "I don't know how you would not, Mr. Law-School-and-Internship."

"Miss. Med-School-and-Internship." He replied easily. Taking a sip of his coffee he winces before looking at Peter. "You make really strong stuff."

"Stark gave us all handouts for Christmas. I put all of them together with the usual stuff. Apparently he was sick of that Folgers shit that Clint makes." Peter grimaced. "Though I'm pretty sure any other type of coffee will pale in comparison to this. This is like a new jet fuel type-and he drinks at least five cups per day."

Matt lifted his mug up before saying in a loud tone, "It is a damn marvel that man hasn't collapsed yet."

The door flew open and Foggy burst in carrying a load of plastic grocery bags. "I got the last avocados!"

The two law students exchanged fists bumps to the confusion of Gwen and Peter.

.

Bruce wasn't quite sure how to carry out a proper relationship that wasn't driven by Betty. Instead, with Natasha it was different. He didn't have to bother sending her a text each night and every morning, because she said they were pointless. She didn't except the nonsense of a month anniversary, which he appreciated because there was no point to celebrating the achievement of the ability to date for a single month.

She preferred little things.

Sometimes he brought her tea in the morning and other times they would exchange books-their handwriting blending together in the blank spaces of the margins as they wrote their thoughts of a certain passage down. Her neat writing met his careful wording perfectly. They went to plays and dances together, using Thor's thoughtful gift.

Other times they stayed in, watching movies with the subtitles on. Tony scoffed at their display of affection-nothing more than hands held tightly in public.

The downside to everything was the courtroom drama that had escalated to international news. The Rouge, or the Red Room as it was sometimes referred to, had been working out of a wide range of countries-Scotland, Canada, Russia and New Zealand. The prostitution had become known across campus and left Natasha anxious and furious, hands clenching into fists. Already Clint had been hauled away by security and the 'victims' taken straight to emergency rooms.

So he did everything he could. He let her talk and rant, angry English melting into broken Russian. He snuck slips of paper in her bag for her to discover later in the day. Sometimes he brought her juice boxes to make her laugh.

He loved her smile. It was small and fragile, and it was worth everything to him.

.

"My mum adores you," Peggy informed Steve as they walked hand in hand across campus. He had stolen her books to carry himself. "She thinks that you are the last gentleman in the post-modern society."

"Obviously she hasn't met Stark," he teased. "See the pictures of his present for Darcy?"

She snickered. "I could barely see her in them." Peggy grinned as she thought back to the massive teddy bear that had barely fit inside the apartment. Pictures had been posted on Facebook of the girl embracing the bear with a maniacal grin.

"I feel like her and Tony was meant to be. They're both insane and intoxicated."

"You know, for a while I thought the business student and him had hit it off."

Steve frowned as he tried to recall the girl. All he could really remember was a clipboard. "I think she was too normal for him. Darcy is just the right amount of spontaneous and liberally supports breaking the laws."

"She's the one who smuggles the drinks in at the dances, isn't she?" Peggy remembering the spiked punch at the Gala the semester previously. "Everyone was convinced the Stark managed to make it past Fury's security with whatever that was."

"Poor Fury," Steve sympathized. "You cut one head off; two more take its place."

.

Max Dillon struggled down the hallways carrying an armload of papers. The rush of students moving against it meant elbows constantly knocking into him as he fought against the crowd, clutching papers nervously to his chest.

Suddenly a girl slammed into him, mumbling an apology as the papers scattered everywhere before rushing off.

Sighing he squatted down and tried to gather up all the pieces before they were trampled into nothing, barely realizing that someone was also helping him collect the paper. "Here you go, man. That's the last of it." The boy shoved the papers at him in a friendly way, looking at the little name tag pinned to his shirt. "Max, right?"

"You know my name?"

"Be careful," the boy said in reply before waving at him and walking off in the opposite direction.

.

"So, how'd things go with the Greek girl?" Foggy asked as he sat down next to Matt, passing him a mocha. "She was cute."

He shrugged. "Didn't work out with Ella."

"What was it this time?"

"Nothing!" Matt sighed. "Absolutely nothing. She was great, just, it never works out."

"Maybe it was the wrong citizenship. How about French? Russian-isn't Natasha Russian?"

He bit back a grin as he took a sip of the mocha. "She is indeed. Except that ship sailed along time ago."

"You were dating _her_!?"

"Bit before you and I started dating." Matt told him before adjusting his glasses. "She and I were more like friends. That was when Clint was being an ass, and Bobbie was being a harpy. It was nice being with her, but she's happier with Bruce."

Foggy shrugged. "They came out of nowhere. All of a sudden they're gallivanting everywhere, holding hands and giving each other sappy little smiles."

"Apparently a lot of people saw them as a thing. Like, I thought they looked great together."

"You think everyone looks great, Murdock. I'm not Stark. That 'I see' joke doesn't work on me."

Matt shrugged with a small smile. "Shame. By the way, you miss a button."

There was a pause and he heard a slight rustle as hands rushed over shirt buttons that were already done up. "DAMN IT!"

.

Natasha ground her teeth as Bobbie gave her a wave from across the courtyard. Turning on her heel she took off the long way to get to the physics lab where Jane and Bruce were working on some project or another. In her bag contained a lunch she had made in the dorm kitchens as a surprise.

It took minutes for the girl to catch up, looping her arm through Natasha's easily. "Where 'ya going?" She asked brightly.

"Physics," Natasha sighed. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, I thought I'd tag along."

"Did you now?"

"Actually, you remember that proposal I had asked you? About interviewing you about the Red Room? Will you please consider me?" Bobbie asked as her grip tightened.

Natasha shrugged and gave her a fake bright smile in return. "I have consider. Then, Peter comes up and ask if I would be comfortable giving him exclusive interview. I say yes to my friend. I am afraid I will not be letting you rake my life through the coals."

"What?" She demanded. "You have to! I already told my professor that you'd give me a chance and everyone is expecting me to have this big story!"

"Your problem."

.

"Bruce?" Natasha's small voice greeted him the moment he picked up the phone.

He was surprised. He had been waiting for her for the past two hours at the lab, expecting that she had gotten caught up in a book of some sort-apparently Wanda had done that to Jarvis already five times by accident, a feat that the English student found amusing. "Where are you?"

"I got into trouble," was her careful reply. "I need you to come get me at station."

"What happened?" He demanded as he grabbed his book bag from beneath the lab table and gave a sharp wave to Thor and Jane. "Are you okay? Did someone do something?"

There was a long pause before she replied. "I defend myself, but then I get mad."

Using the spare set of keys that Tony had long since given him, he borrowed the obscenely bright car from the parking lot and drove far faster than he should have to the police station across the city. Upon arriving there he didn't bother to lock the doors, but rather flung himself into the building and demanded to see Natasha.

The officers brought the red haired girl out to him, proudly sporting a bruise along the hairline and a couple of nasty scratches along her cheek. She was watching him carefully, keeping her distance. "Who did this to you?" He demanded, forcing himself to not rush up to her. There was a fragile look in her eye, one that he wanted to go away.

"It does not matter." She shrugged.

"It does. Someone hurt you. You said you were defending yourself."

There was a slight moment of silence before she spat out a single name, "Bobbie."

He longed to punch her hard in the face. Forcing himself to remember that the two no longer lived together he moved on from his anger. "What happened?"

"She kept pushing me and pushing me, grabbing my arm like this-you see?" She said roughly as she jerked her shirt sleeve up to reveal the angry mark darkening her skin. "I tell her to stop, go away but she does not. I hit her and then she hit back, but then I do not stop. I keep going and going until she cry."

Natasha was speaking with pure anger, forcing hesitation and anxiety out of her words until they remained nothing but hard images of rage. She was waiting for him to leave, he realized, hands trembling at her sides.

He didn't give her another second of doubt.

Taking her hands in his, he squeezed them lightly. "She deserved it. I won't ever doubt that."

"I'm a monster, you know. I didn't care that she say stop."

He frowned at her. "I beat my father almost to death."

They're standing in the middle of the police station lobby with three officers staring them down, and he's admitting to nearly killing his father. The situation feels all sorts of strange and unusual, he doesn't really know what to do but slowly lead her out of the station and into Tony's car. She winces as she gets in, hand going to her rib cage at the slight motion. "She get lucky shot," she said sullenly.

"Can't wait for Clint to hear about this."

.

 **[Tony: I want to be the first to congratulate you on the rainbow that is Bobbie's face.]**

 **[Clint: it really is spectacular. I'm impressed.]**

 **[star_lord: that was you?!]**

 **[Natasha: she start it.]**

 **[Steve: lets not support violence here?]**

 **[Bruce: we're not. We're supporting Natasha is disposing Bobbie.]**

 **[Natasha: good answer]**

 **[Bruce: you trained me well.]**

 **[Clint: just so you know, she's smiling.]**

 **[Clint: and threatening to beat me.]**

 **[Tony: when will the violence end, Romanoff?]**

 **[Thor: someone has hurt you?]**

 **[Tony: Yeah Bobbie thought it'd be excellent to attack the angry Russian.]**

 **[Thor: I must go visit this Bobbie.]**

 **[Thor has logged off.]**

 **[Natasha: damnit.]**

 **[Clint: between my little visit earlier and now Thor's, she's going to get sick of us.]**

 **[Steve: oh.]**

 **[Bruce: lets just say that it wasn't just you two.]**

 **[Natasha: what did you do?]**

 **[Steve: chatted. Nothing serious!]**

 **[Private Message to Steve Rogers from Bruce Banner: you tell her, we die.]**

 **[Private Message to Bruce Banner from Steve Rogers: you think I'm suicidal?]**

 **[Tony: just so we're all aware, what I'm working on right now will make what I did to Mary Jane's computer look like a joke.]**

 **[Natasha: what are you doing?]**

 **[Tony: serious hacking. It'll take a look at all her files, see if you're in any of them, before purging her computer of any coding. By the time I'm through with it, it'll be a damn marvel if it even turns on.]**

 **[Steve: isn't that sort of pushing it?]**

 **[Natasha: she has old laptop spare.]**

 **[Steve: than keep on doing what you're doing.]**

 **[Tony: aye, Captain.]**

 **.**

Wanda's heart lurched as she heard a knock on her door. She'd been alone in the room for some time, caught up with a book that she had set aside for some time already. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was already twenty minutes past when she was supposed to have met with Jarvis, making her swear as she flung the door open to his amused glance.

"I'm sorry!" She exclaimed as she pointed to the book with a guilty expression.

The first time it had happened he had waited nearly an hour before checking her room only to find her completely enwrapped within a book. The following times he always gave her ten minutes before heading to her room himself to get her. He'd never gotten upset at any the times she'd lost track of time, but just helplessly entertained.

"It is very cold out, you should wear a jacket." He informed her as he looked around her slightly messy room. A wooden box that he'd given her for Christmas sat on her desk, containing the smaller box within. Books were shelved neatly on the bookshelf that was suspended above her desk, lined up by colour. "I would hate it if you were sick."

She snatched her red jacket from where it hung over top her chair. "You say there is surprise tonight."

"There is."

"What is this surprise?"

He grinned at her widely. "That would be telling."

It turned out the surprise was an evening spent sledding down the hills set off in the distance from the university and shared canisters of hot chocolate. She smiles more than she wants to, but maybe that's alright.

.

Gwen raced for the elevator as the doors slowly slid shut. Already running late, she had no desire to be any later than she already was. Someone stuck their hand out, forcing the doors to pause in their motion, allowing her to enter the elevator. "Thank you," she breathed, clutching her textbook and travel mug of coffee with relief. "That was really nice of you-most people would have just let the doors shut."

Her companion smiled at her in a strained way, eyes bright. "I'm not like most people."

.

"So, you'd be impressed by her fanfiction writing skills." Tony mused as he leaned forward to properly view the document. "It is really fascinating of how many lies she has concocted."

Natasha blinked, carefully translating his words before nodding. "She begun making article of me," she stated with a frown, "despite that I gave no information."

"Yep," he popped his 'p'. "Read for yourself. It's actually sickening. It looks like this is just a draft, nothing complete, but she really makes her opinion clear."

" _Natasha Romanoff is a willing victim in the Red Room scandal. Her childhood was spent in a nameless Russian orphanage, abandoned by her parents who were presumed to have been connected in the drug dealing ring of the Russian sphere. Eventually she was finally removed from the system by a man of whom she calls 'Uncle Ivan' who removed her from Russia and brought her to various locations of the world._

 _Under the guise of a Vodka factory, the Russian Rouge has been dealing in child prostitution in various countries-Europe, Canada and America. Romanoff was a willing participant in the entire set of events, apparently making quite the profit._

 _Coming to America for education was an attempt to broaden her horizons, she claimed. Desperate to gain further American cliental, she began making companions with those of impeccable descent- befriending the children of both the Stark and Odin families. Her ability to corrupt the morals-_

Natasha jerked herself away from the computer screen, squeezing her eyes shut tight. She remembered the nights spent in the Rouge, pressed against bodies and beaten bloody. Tony was trying to catch her attention, speaking loudly but his words were fading in the madness.

"Bruce?" Tony demanded the moment Bruce answered his phone call. "Please tell me you can get here in the next thirty seconds."

"I'm just walking down the hallway-I'll be there in less. What did you break this time?"

He frowned hard, trying to get Natasha to focus on him. "Red Russian is breaking down and I can't help her."

Bruce hung up suddenly and the door flew open. The physics student flung himself into the room and suddenly wrapped his arms around Natasha, holding her tight even when she struggled. "Hey, hey." He tried to get her to breath properly, running his fingers through her long red hair. "You're alright, Tasha. Everything is going to be fine."

"I'm a monster," she whispered, accent thick.

"We'll be monsters together."

.

 **[Tony: So Bobbie is getting shipped to Iraq.]**

 **[Bruce: agreed.]**

 **[Clint: god yes.]**

 **[Steve: so what did she do now?]**

 **[Tony: I'll send you the report she wrote. It's breathtaking in its ability to actually make you want to stab her in the throat.]**

 **[Bruce: it's garbage.]**

 **[star_lord: I want to read this.]**

 **[Tony Stark sent one attachment.]**

.

"I need you to pick me up."

"Natasha?"

"Barton."

"You totally hit her, didn't you?"

"Multiple times."

"Atta girl."

.

"So Bobbie looks like a goddamn mess. I'd like to applaud Natasha for her excellent skills." Tony mused as he handed Steve a newspaper. "Seriously. I'd like to know how Bobbie is even walking properly after what Natasha dished out."

Steve winced. "I know, I saw her. I also read that report, so my sympathy no longer exists for her."

"Have you seen Natasha, though?"

"No, why?"

He shrugged as he stole a pastry from the plate sitting between them. Steve glared at him before tugging his food closer to him. "Bitch clocked her pretty hard with a pipe. She's got her arm in a sling and looks as happy as a tortured lab rat."

"Clint's pretty proud."

"Bruce is upset, though. Should have heard him when he found out Natasha called Clint, not him."

"Why'd she call him?"

Tony swallowed his mouthful before making a face. "Why do people insist on adding fruit flavours? If I wanted to eat properly, I would." He grimaced at the traitorous pastry before setting it aside on a napkin. "Apparently she called him already for a pick up from the station, and hadn't wanted to bother him."

"That would explain him then," Steve commented. "He's been a mess lately-no sleep, refusing to answer messages. Barely moving away from that desk of his."

"I get why she called Barton. I also get why Banner is upset. I am just very much happy that Bobbie got hurt."

"You're terrible."

.

"On your left!"

"C'mon!"

.

Gamora flopped down onto the bed. "I hate ballet." She informed Peter glumly. "I hate classes. I hate everything."

"Not me, you don't." He said absentmindedly as he flipped a page. "Unless you do."

"I'd never hate you."

That got him to look up and scoff. "You punched me the very first time we met."

"I wasn't falling for any of your pelvis magic," she shrugged innocently.

Peter rolled back from his desk and rubbed his eyes. For the past hour he had spent in front of line paper as he tried to compose a song for his final project of the year, but had spent his time fruitlessly. Nothing had been achieved but wasted paper and time. "Why do you hate ballet?"

"Everyone is stupid."

"Natasha isn't."

"She's suspended from all extracurricular."

"That's stupid."

"Everyone is stupid."

"Why are you annoyed with ballet? I thought you loved it?"

"Winter term brought in all these new people, who think it's just a trendy game. There are these annoying girls who just gossip and fix their makeup in the mirror, and our teacher shouts at all of us because of them being stupid." Gamora huffed. "I hate everything. My feet hurt, I'm eating too much apparently."

Peter gave her a frown. "Who said you're eating too much?"

"Teacher."

"Well, you aren't. In fact, you should probably eat more than you already do." He informed her sharply, thinking back to the year previous when they had battled over her eating disorder frequently."

She made a face at him. "I'm thinking I might drop it and join the marathon running class. Natasha won't be back in ballet until next year, and it's just so frustrating. I like to dance, but I hate dancing alone."

Peter got up to his feet and strode the short distance to the bed, tugging Gamora up. "Then you and I are gonna dance, right here, right now."

He's playing his cheesy music and she can't stop laughing.

.

Harry glowers at the textbook before him, forcing his posture to slouch. His lips twitch slightly at the reprimands his mother would have given him, before she overdosed and kicked it. His phone was buzzing in his bag, the noise of it irritating him. He was surprised when someone sat down across from him with a bright smile that looked oddly enough, real.

"Harry," the figured greeted. "I heard that you were transferring."

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"Surprised you don't recognize me," he laughed. "I'm Peter. Peter Parker."

He remembers the boy with braces who used to meet him the park after their classes ended before his father shipped him away to the UK for 'better' schooling. Since his father had died of an illness Harry had returned to America. "Right." Harry said awkwardly.

"Listen, I heard about your dad and I just wanted to say I'm sorry that he died. I know how it feels." Peter tells him simply, and something flares up inside him.

"How would you know?"

Peter gives him a look and Harry grimaces as he remembers what he had forgotten-the kid whose parents walked out on him, his Uncle being shot in the streets. "Well, you know, if you ever want to talk, I'm around. And by that, I'm secretly begging you to rescue me from my insane roommates."

They're both surprised when he laughed. Harry pushed away from the chemistry textbook and gives the student across from him proper attention. "How insane are they?"

"Well, the one goes around claiming they're avocados, and the other one –blind, mind you- likes to poke people with his cane rather than using it properly." Peter sighed well naturedly. "We're looking for a bigger place right now. Lately we've been walking over each other, three people crammed inside a one bedroom apartment. Anyways, enough about my insanity. So I heard you've been dating models."

Harry smirked. " _Super_ models."

"Oh, forgive me. I hope I didn't offend you with the lack of superness."

"I'm offended, believe me."

They're grinning at each other and oddly enough it feels like Harry never left. "Hey, here's my number. Feel free to call me if you ever want to hang out or whatever."

Harry takes the piece of paper offered.

"You know, now that you lost the braces, there is nothing to distract me from your unibrow."

.

"We need to talk." Tony informed Bruce as he barged into the small dorm room. "How did we even live in here? Barely enough room for one person, let alone two."

Bruce sighed as he shoved away from his desk and looked up at the engineer student. "What are we talking about? You're banned from entering the science fair, and I've been informed that perhaps I should join the panel of judges, rather than participate."

"Just because of that _one_ explosion-"

"That ruined the roof and left a massive hole in the floor." Bruce cut in. "Let's not forget about the damage."

"You're always so focused on the damage."

"One of us should be."

Tony rolled his eyes. "You and Red need to talk."

"Kind of hard to talk when someone doesn't want to."

"More like someones." He informed him. "Between you and Natasha, there is no one more stubborn alive. Ever. Except maybe me, just because I like to be the best."

Bruce scowled. "She called Clint, not me."

"So, you're jealous?"

"Yes!" He snapped. "Yes, I'm jealous. She called Clint, and weren't we all the ones who had assumed they were going to hook up and do whatever those two do? Except then that all went to hell, and those two decided to be friends and then _we_ happened- what the was I supposed to think when she called him and not me?"

"You're so dramatic." Tony sighed. "Ever think that maybe, just maybe, Natasha was embarrassed?"

"Embarrassed about what?"

"You know, that article that she read mentioned you a couple times. Was pretty nasty, in general. About all of us, but especially you. And then, have you seen the mess that Bobbie is? Like, she's still limping and Natasha really went all out on this idiot. Forgive me if I'm wrong –which, is never. I'm always right- but didn't she already call you once to pick her up?"

There was a few moments before Bruce finally asked, "can you not think rationally?"

"I'm thinking rationally?" Tony asked with a look of horror.

.

 **[Tony: good news, morons. Brucie and tasha sitting in a tree.]**

 **[Natasha: I will beat you with a tree.]**

 **[Clint: I'd believe it.]**

 **[Bruce: you know who we haven't harassed yet?]**

 **[Clint: who?]**

 **[Bruce: you. Because funny enough, I thought I saw Laura receiving a dozen red roses today.]**

 **[Tony: that is so sappy it's terrible. Smarten up, cupid.]**

 **[Steve: that's cute. Not manly, but cute.]**

 **[Natasha: isn't she allergic to roses?]**

 **[Clint: FUCK.]**

 **.**

Loki sat hunched over the controller next to Thor and scowled at the screen. "I hate this country," he said blandly as his brightly coloured figure raced the track. "It's stupid, in its vain attempts of liberty and freedom."

Thor smirked as his red character passed him. "You always say that, yet you always wish to go to New York."

"Why are you always Mario, anyways?"

"Because you always insist on being Bowser."

Loki let out a whine as his character fell off the rainbow bridge.

.

 **[Tony: I'm thinking on adopting a few dogs.]**

 **[Bruce: I'll never go back to your apartment.]**

 **[Tony: why?]**

 **[Bruce: neither will Steve actually.]**

 **[Tony: why the harsh refusal?]**

 **[Bruce: we value breathing over fluffy animals that shed.]**

 **[Tony: lame.]**

 **.**

"Hey," Gwen asked Peter as they sat on a bench in some obscure part of the city eating frozen yogurt. "Can I ask you something?"

"Are you proposing?" He demanded as he bite into his coffee flavoured desert. "Because I'm expecting the whole down-on-one-knee-with-a-ring dealio here."

"Living with Foggy has ruined you."

"But Matt redeems me!"

"Just because he's catholic, doesn't mean he has the magic ability to redeem anyone."

"Are you sure?"

"Fairly positive."

"Ah, but you're only _fairly_ positive. Even you're still doubting it."

"Anyways," she dragged the word out. "I wanted to ask what you would think if I went to the UK to study for a semester next year."

Peter paused for a few moments before saying, "I went away last semester to New York. Why would it be any different? As long as you return and don't make out with any guys over there."

She grinned. "But the accents!"

"You don't think I could do an accent? Now I'm offended."

.

Matt gave a grimace as he walked aided by Foggy into the small apartment. Gwen and Peter looked up shocked as they saw the awkward walking cast. "What the hell happened to you?" Peter asked as he offered a chair. Foggy carefully helped him into it.

"Turns out black ice is hard to see."

"Or," Foggy cut in, "the person supposed to be salting the walkway didn't actually salt the walkway."

Gwen reached for Peter's cellphone and scrolled through his contacts to look for the maintenance phone number. "I'll deal with it." She informed them all grimly as she dialed the number. Walking away into the bedroom where two beds were shoved into the small space, they could hear her low and angry tone through the shut door.

"She's frightening." Matt commented. "And this is stupid."

"Yeah. It's stupid that you broke your foot because some people were too stupid to salt the stupid walkway." Foggy said. "Can we sue them?"

"I feel like we would fail."

"We managed to keep that bar open!"

"Notice how we don't get the free drinks? I just realized this."

"No, salting it now doesn't fix anything!" Gwen's angry voiced emerged through the door. "His leg is broken. Ever see this guy try to use a cane and a crutch? No. Do your stupid job before I come down there."

"I feel offended." Matt informed them all. "I think I do just fine navigating."

"Dude. You ditch the crutch and try to hobble on your cane, in a way that doesn't work out well." Peter said to him. "Like, didn't you break your last cane that way?"

"Meh."

.

Peter sighed as he awoke to the sound of a broken cane and swearing law student.

.

 **[Steve: did you get hurt?]**

 **[Tony: when I fell from heaven?]**

 **[Steve: seriously.]**

 **[Tony: no? why?]**

 **[Steve: there was an explosion or something down in one of the labs. Apparently this guy got electrocuted by his lab partners.]**

 **[Tony: you thought I was hurt? I feel so loved!]**

 **[Steve: I figured that anyone would try and kill you after working more than twenty minutes with you.]**

 **[Tony: fuzzy feelings are gone.]**

 **.**

"You know, as lovely as it is that all of you assumed I died in some terrible lab accident, I'm not allowed in that lab." Tony informed the group as they gathered at the café table, bent over trays of food. Steve looked up from his phone. "Like, it's a legal and health reason."

Bruce gets it first, because he'd spent a brief time working in that lab the year before. It had been known for the experiments in electrical engineering, and years previous that lab in particular had become infamous for electrocuting a student to death. The student had a medical condition similar to Tony's, in which his heartbeat was sporadic.

Tony had already gone through three heart attacks since he had turned twelve and because of that he was restricted access in certain labs. The electrical engineer lab could only be accessed by a student card and his was not wired into the system.

Bruce cuts and gives a brief explanation, rather than let Tony drag out the various medical terms. "It's terrible that he died."

"Did he have any family around?" Steve asked as he reached across the table to steal Clint's bottle of water, ignoring his sound of protest.

"I heard he was orphan." Natasha said. There was something hard in the way she said the word, and it took them all a moment to realize that the majority of them all had lost at least one parent. "Terrible he die, no one left of his family tree."

Peter flung himself into a chair next to Peter Parker and grinned. "Hello, Name-Twin. Hello, losers."

"You're a real piece of work, 'Star Lord'." Tony informed him before biting into his wrap. "Ew. How do you eat this vegetarian garbage?"

"I'm surprised you're even eating, Stark." Steve said. "Normally I'm the one that gets the privilege into forcing you to eat and sleep. Which, by the way, really is not a privilege."

He rolled his eyes. "You know, you're the one sitting around the table filled with insomniacs. How do you and Bruce live together, anyways?"

"I got very good at seeing the dark," Bruce cut in. "That helped."

"Yeah, hasn't worked for me and Foggy yet," Peter Parker said. "Matt keeps the place pitch black at nights, and we usually have the privilege in walking into things. Though, we found this really good apartment. The only catch is this massively ridiculous billboard that makes the place brighter than my IQ at night. Matt says that the place looks fantastic, which means he's an asshole."

"You're not very nice to the impaired, are you?" Tony snarked.

"How is he?" Natasha asked as she remembered Foggy's text about Matt breaking his leg.

Peter rolled his eyes. "He's a real champ at bed rest. Matt's started to take up boxing. Which helps nothing. Nothing at all."

.

Max Dillon grimaced as the Nurse wheeled him down the corridor. He had checked his phone briefly and found no messages, and his Facebook had only showed one single notification, one person mentioning that they were sorry he had died.

Briefing through his newsfeed revealed everyone barely noticing the accident. Gwen Stacey had posted an article of clock towers being reconstructed, Steve Rogers adding to his Facebook album of various sketches while Tony Stark had spewed on some rant that took up the entirety of several statuses.

Peter Parker was the only person who had commented and it made his fists clench.

 _He was a person he wasn't dead he was alive how can they not see he is alive god damn it-_

.

Harry gave his Uncle a sharp smile, something that border lined a smirk rather than a proper smile. "How are you?"

His Uncle spooned sugar into the tea cups before pouring the tea. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm filthy rich, which I'm supposing you want to discuss."

"You're also dying." The bluntness of the statement somehow makes it easier to take in, Harry found. Sugar coating it left a taste of bitterness, but the upfront nature of the statement is three simple words easy to grasp onto, because they're true. He's been dying since he turned sixteen.

"And you're an ugly bastard," Harry shrugged. "The money goes to charity when I die."

His Uncle gave him a sharp smile in response.

.

Peter gave a grimace at the paper. "Turns out Harry's been kicked out of the Osborn family. Lost his fortune."

"Damn," Foggy whistled. "That's a bitch."

There was an image of the student being hauled out of the Dean's office. "On the bright side, his Uncle is allowing him to continue his attendance here."

"You know, I never realized that Osborn University was named after his family."

"Hear about the proposal of a name change? Saint Shield?"

"How 'bout that." Foggy cocked his head. "You know, I feel like that's supposed to be an acronym or something."

.

"Hey," Max turned to look at the stranger who was watching him. "You're the guy from the accident, right?"

"How do you know?"

"I heard about it. Man, that sucks. You were in the hospital for a couple of weeks, weren't you?"

"Yeah, but it was just an accident-"

"Please. Everyone can see that was not an accident. You nearly died because of a joke, or whatever it was."

"The guys just wanted to get home, it wasn't a big deal."

"You know, you oughta strike back."

"What do you mean?"

"I need to make a big statement, and you need to make a big statement. Together, we could make a large statement."

.

Natasha grinned at Bruce as she tossed him an apple. He opened his mouth to speak to her when the sound of a gunshot made all the activity on campus grind to a halt.

A figure in a black trench coat walking across the courtyard had students scrambling for buildings. Natasha and Bruce sprinted for the library.

.

 **[Steve: is everyone okay?]**

 **[Thor: computer labs under assult.]**

 **[Thor: i have jane and darcy.]**

 **[Tony: LOOK AFTER HER.]**

 **.**

Bruce crouched down low on the top floor of the library, tucked deep into the stacks of books. They were shielded by the shelves but had enough of a view of a window to look out over the campus. Natasha was gripping his hand tightly as she watched the student fire the machine gun into the air.

"What is happening?" she asked very quietly, the two barely daring to breathe.

"Everyone just lost it."

.

Peggy snatched a fire extinguisher off the wall and stood with her back flushed against the wall as the door flew open, two figures lurching into the darkened classroom. The taller one barely ducked in time as she attempted to hit him over the head with the bright red fire extinguisher. "We're unarmed!" He announced.

"God, I'm sorry." She breathed. "Shut the door before they come. They were shooting outside."

"What is this? Why is everyone shooting?" The girl asked as she wedged a chair beneath the door handle. "None of this makes any sense."

"It's like a terrible story that's gone off track," she replied before hunching over. "We should probably hide beneath the desks or something."

"I saw a classmate with a gun," the male informed them. "Scepter Ultron. He's a real, mind my language, jackass."

"Well, now he's a jackass with a gun. My name is Peggy, by the way."

"Jarvis. This is Wanda."

"Pleasure to meet you."

.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Clint swore as he was dragged down the hallway by Pietro. "Where the fuck is enforcements?"

The loud speakers crackled to life. "Greetings, students." Harry Osborne's voice emerged. "I'd like to apologise for your deaths, but unfortunately you're only pawns in this all. Anyone spotted by any of my fine men will be shot on sight. So, do yourself all a favor and don't get spotted."

"I'd like to punch him," Pietro grunted before shoving Clint into a supply closet before collapsing, blood staining his shirt. Clint barely heard the sound of the gun shot, barely saw the shooter run away down the halls. All he could see was the red mask the boy wore, the red blood staining the blue shirt and the wide eyes looking up at him. "Did not.. see that coming."

"You asshole," Clint seethed before pulling himself out of the closet and forcing Pietro to stand up, leaning on him. "You die, I have to tell your sister."

"I pity you."

"Fuck, you sound sarcastic even when you're dying!"

A door at the end of the hall stood unlocked, the name plate saying _Experimental Medical Lab_.

.

Rocket threw a makeshift bomb out the window and cackled as the boy screaming about electricity howled.

Peter sighed.

.

Harry looked at Peter Parker with something similar to pity. "I hoped you wouldn't be on campus today." They stood on top of a flight of stairs, Gwen standing to the side as Harry narrowed in on Peter.

"And yet, here I am."

Gwen watched him with an angry expression, fists curled tight. The boy had a gun pointed at Peter, grinning. "You're sick," she spat.

"Dying, actually. My father left his fortune to me so I could have the opportunity to find a cure." Harry sighed. "Really quite tragic. Except my Uncle, the dean of this blasted university, decided that wasn't cool so he removed me from the family and stole my inheritance."

"So you're shooting students dead?" She demanded. Suddenly the gun was facing her.

"Yeah. Can't kill him legally, so I figured why not?"

Harry suddenly lunged forward and shoved her backwards, making her cry out and she fell down the stairs. Peter shouted and swore, but her hand caught the railing just before the fell to far. Suddenly Peter had the gun and was holding it in shaking hands. "You don't get to do that, Harry."

"Go ahead. Kill a dying man."

Peter didn't. Instead he stood there and pointed the gun with trembling hands Harry for over an hour before the police found them, Gwen standing far back from both the stairs and Harry.

.

"Peggy!" Steve's voice demanded as she answered her phone. "Listen, I'm in the area with one of the guys."

"What? Get out of there!"

"I can't-the exit is locked, and we're on the top floor of the tower."

"Oh god, Steve, just hide. Get down somewhere and wait for help."

"There's a lot of people hiding up here, and he's going to shoot them dead if I don't do something."

"This isn't your duty, you don't need to do this!"

"I can't just sit back and let people die."

"Well, you better not die. Because I will drag you back from the dead and kill you myself."

.

They embrace after everything, clutching each other and shouting about how stupid he is as the police haul away the beaten figure in the red mask, Steve's fists raw and bloodied.

.

(what lost creatures you all are)

.

It takes a while to move on after the shooting. The Dean leaves the school and a man with an eye patch takes his place. The school closes and no one really knows what to do, burrowing into small groups. Tony buys a dog the moment Darcy cries and Bruce doesn't bother to say a word. He receives enough allergy medicine to last him years.

Gwen and Peter leave for a semester to go to England, holding hands the entire way. Pietro spends twelve days in coma (the irony is not lost on Wanda) but lives.

They move on slowly, in a stumbling and halting sort of way.

.


	4. with a little help from my friends

.

.

snap shots and lost super hero capes

.

.

This is the end. Supposed to be sort of like the beginning in a way, but happier. Peggy works for the police, Natasha is both a ballerina and a professor because why not?, it's Barton, Nelson and Murdock working on the legal front with Peggy as a police officer (back up being Sam) and I just sort of wanted to wrap things up. Thank you for the read! I hope you enjoyed it very much!

(also, thor is in business, peter is doing scoring for movies and Gamora is working in the FBI because she's a freaking badass.)

(I'm going to be adding to my 1920s Avenger fanfic before moving onto a new story. Or, you know, actually finish my in progress pieces.) (whoops.)

.

.

 _act like a man and think like a child_

.

Steve sat on the bench as he watched out over the park. There was a flock of kids playing around by the swing set and he was sketching their tiny forms. Already he was planning on a large scale painting to submit to the gallery later in the month. His phone buzzed and reading the text message revealed that Bruce and Peggy were on their way, the former having just picked up the latter from her work.

He enjoyed the bright sunlight, a rarity in the autumn weather of New York. He had grown used to watching the grey skies. Tony shouted his name from a distance, jogging over the park grounds in a smooth manner. The engineer had changed quite a bit since their time in university, having mellowed somewhat after a sixth heart attack. Stark Industries had dominated the global market through a clean energy production that revolutionized technologies. His marriage to Darcy had been recent enough but a welcomed edition to the newspapers, something that Peter Parker had covered for the Daily Bugle.

"Has the art world, Captain?"'

"Why does everyone keep calling me that?" Steve asked as he grinned at him. "I'm not the one in the police force."

Tony shrugged as he flopped down on the bench beside him. "Fair enough. Feels like I haven't seen anyone in ages."

"Knowing you, you haven't. Working on any projects?"

"Military projects," he grimaced. "They want drones, not soldiers. This, of course, goes against everything that Stark Industries stands for. Or so Darcy tells me."

"Hear about the Visions?"

"No, what happened? Did Wanda flip out and kill everyone yet?"

"She might. Apparently from what I've heard they're expecting." Steve thought back to the small apartment the two were living out of, right above the bookstore that the two owned. It was backed pretty strongly by an anonymous benefactor who had taken an interest in the independent bookstore. Everyone had a strong feeling that the anonymous benefactor was Tony himself, but no one dared to question him about it.

Tony snorted. "What does over protective big brother think about that?"

"Apparently he's bought little Nike running shoes for the kid."

"Adorable, I'm sure. Thankfully Darcy detests all small people and refuses on carrying around a parasite. I'm blessed." Tony froze before spinning around to see Natasha standing directly behind him. "God, it's like I can feel your stare. You should have been a judge, or something."

"It is always a pleasure, Stark." She informed as she brushed her short hair behind her ears. "I'm surprised to see you in the daylight. I thought you burned when the sun touched your skin."

Steve rolled his eyes at her teasing. "How is the education front going?"

"They're all imbeciles." Natasha informed him blatantly. "The next generation is completely screwed. You know, I mark these essays and have to deal with hashtags and computer slang."

Tony blinked. "You teach at a university."

"Exactly."

"Does Bruce deal with this? God, if he did I'd completely understand why he's a bundle of nerves."

"He's an experimental physicist. Didn't one of his students accidently blow up his classroom?" Steve asked her.

Natasha grimaced. "I thought he died in the wreckage. I also thought I was going to kill that moronic swine for being so stupid."

"I'm sure the kid thought you were going to kill him as well," Tony said. "Hell yeah, speak of the devil." Bruce, Peggy and Matt ambled their way over the pathway, Clint walking behind them with Thor and Foggy. Peter was surely on his way somewhere.

"How is it that we live within walking distance from each other, yet we never see each other?" Natasha asked.

"You all look fantastic," Matt told them all. "Especially you, Stark. New suit?"

"Yeah, actually. Thought I'd dress up to see you losers-" Tony went silent for a few moments before glaring at Matt. "I actually hate you."

"Everyone hates the lawyer."

"For good reason."

"I thought you said you adored me when I got you out of trouble for that black market incident." Clint smirked. "You said something along the lines of ' _you sexy son of a bitch, thank god you became a lawyer_.'"

Tony rolled his eyes. "You're exaggerating."

"No, I was there. Spot on." Foggy added in. "You also might have mentioned I was a damn fine bastard."

"How often have they had to bail you out of trouble?" Steve laughed.

Matt gave a smirk. "Way too often."

"Luckily Darcy keeps you under her thumb." Clint said. "Anyways, where the hell is Parker?"

"Gwen mentioned he'd probably be running late." Natasha said as she squeezed Bruce's hand. "I'm starving. Can we go? Between practice and papers I had no time for lunch."

"You sure you're okay balancing ballet and proffessoring?"

"Not a word, Stark."

"I build shit, I don't read the dictionary."

"Actually, you did. I remember you were when we lived together, back when you had an official meltdown and swore you were going to transfer over to become a philosophy major."

"Shut up, Banner."

"Play nice, boys. I don't want to be picking up after you."

Steve tucked his sketchbook in his leather bag that Peggy had bought him earlier in the year for Christmas. "How was work?" He asked her.

"Sam and I got stuck doing paperwork, of course. Found this excellent bar though, so that helped us stay focus the entire time."

"So you guys were playing pool."

"And poker."

.

"Can I get an interview?" A woman asked, wearing oversized sunglasses. Her blonde hair looked unnatural against her pale skin and it took the group a moment to realize that Bobbie was standing before them all as they gathered around the bar.

"I think I speak for everyone when I saw hell no." Tony said bluntly. "Good bye."

.

"Did you ever think it would turn out this way?" Bruce asked Natasha later as they watched their friends gathered. Clint was texting Laura while Peter was telling some funny incident that happened to Gwen. Thor had challenged Tony to a drinking competition, much to Peggy's dismay.

She remembered how bitter she used to be, like an old bottle filled with rusted nails. Now she was a different person, less battered and broken. "I don't know how I thought it would be. I'm glad though, the way it is now."

They're a family, in ways. And in other ways, they're better than a family.


End file.
